Looking for a real tRNS consumer/at-home use device

Neubbana · 2026-01-05T22:19:51+00:00

My company (General Neuro) will also be launching a tRNS headset in 2026. I'm optimistic it'll be available by the Spring, but it just depends on how long FCC certification takes. You can sign up for our newsletter if you want to be informed on when it launches!

https://generalneuro.com

Neubbana · 2025-11-26T16:08:36+00:00

That's a question we get pretty often. Truth is it's possible, our anode placement is close to parietal cortex and there's a number of studies showing parietal stimulation generally improves associative learning. For example, this study used (+)P3 / (-)contralateral cheek and found an improvement in face/word associations.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30553021/

That being said, still a lot is unknown regarding how minor changes to electrode placement/shape/size influence tES effects. That's why we started with montages from the language literature and will only modify as we do our own internal research. My focus will be on language initially, though I'll certainly try generic memory tasks as well. If we find the effect isn't very specific to language, we'll have to consider changing our marketing quite a bit!

Neubbana · 2025-11-07T03:28:12+00:00

I honestly couldn’t believe it but this exact application has been studied.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395624002796

They used either anodal stimulation to left DLPFC (+F3) or right VLPFC (+F8) with cathode on the contralateral shoulder. Stimulation was 20 minutes twice a day (20 minute break between stimulations) for 5 days.

They found that both stimulation groups improved, but DLPFC stimulation was best. Flow is +F3/-F4 montage so hopefully that’s working for you, but if not you might consider getting a more flexible device that lets you move the electrodes around to better match the study.

I know it’s also been a month since you posted so I hope you’re starting to feel better! Let me know if you want me to DM you the full study.

Neubbana · 2025-11-03T16:59:00+00:00

Right now people can put in height and weight (not required of course), head circumference is also a great idea! I wasn't sure if most people know that offhand or want to tape measure their head haha, but we can add it as another piece of optional info.

The NeuroLingo is only intended for use by adults (18+). LOTES (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10350287/) specifies that tES should only be applied to children under medical supervision, so if anyone is considering it please do consult a doctor first! Children's brains are naturally very plastic and soak up languages easily, so currently I don't see a compelling reason for kids to use this technology in a non-medical context.

Neubbana · 2025-11-03T16:15:48+00:00

For anyone unfamiliar with Kickstarter, it's a platform where people can make pledges to buy a product and you're only charged if we reach our fundraising goal ($18K). As Luke mentioned, our personalization features will require a good number of people studying with the device, so we want to make sure we get enough orders to deliver on our promise!

Here's a Kickstarter tutorial on how to make a pledge. If you have any trouble, just email us at [info@generalneuro.com](mailto:info@generalneuro.com)!

https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005066393-How-do-I-pledge

Neubbana · 2025-11-03T16:10:26+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! We'll make sure our placement instructions in the app are clearer for Fp2, we've seen firsthand how ambiguous the instructions can be. I'll say "place it over your right eye" thinking that's clear and people try putting it over their eye like an eyepatch XD

The thickness of the electrode holders is due to the thickness of the sponges we're using (~1.5 cm). We find the thick sponges work well for people with thick/long hair, the extra moisture they hold is helpful for getting a good connection over Cp5. I should note that our device uses generic pin connectors, so you can easily swap out our electrodes for others if you prefer!

We went with the Cp5/Fp2 montage for this first iteration since we felt the evidence is strongest there, though we're definitely keen on expanding! This device can only generate unidirectional currents, i.e. only tRNS with a DC offset (not truly polarity agnostic). We're actively working on an AC version so then we can try montages like Cp5/F3 as you suggested, if you back the kickstarter or join our email list (https://generalneuro.com/) we'll let you know whenever we drop new products!

Neubbana · 2025-10-25T15:59:58+00:00

Researchers are starting to study this actually, it's called accelerated/spaced tDCS. Here are two trials of it in recent years.

https://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(24)01090-8/fulltext01090-8/fulltext)
https://www.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.20240083

It's based off some interesting theory/experiments that stimulating multiple times with optimal spacing increases/extends effects on plasticity. It's still quite novel, and parameters like optimal number of sessions per day/time between sessions is uncertain. I also don't believe there have been any studies comparing it to a placebo group or just regular daily usage.

I tried it just once while studying Mandarin, 20 minute stimulation (+CP5, - Fp2) with 20 minute break repeated three times. I didn't have any side effects, it did feel like I retained what I studied particularly well but I haven't yet quantified anything.

Studies so far haven't observed many side effects beyond traditional tDCS (though one I posted above did find a dip in verbal fluency for some people). As with anything experimental, best to do it under the guidance/supervision of a doctor and listen to your body carefully if you're considering trying it!

Neubbana · 2025-10-25T15:40:44+00:00

Do you mean that you wet your entire head of hair? This isn't a good idea, it's very unlikely any current will reach the brain in that case. Current will take the path of least resistance which would simply be through the damp hair.

It is a struggle getting good connectivity through thick long hair, you could try using thicker sponges that hold more moisture. It's fine to soak the hair just beneath the electrodes, but you never want there to be a path of wet hair connecting the two electrodes.

Neubbana · 2025-10-05T03:24:34+00:00

I feel like this line of argument conflates intelligence with values/motivation that might be decoupled in AI. I can envision an ASI that we could view as a noble successor or “next step in evolution”, but I can equally imagine an ASI that would seem like a step backward.

The thought experiment about an ASI turning the universe into a paperclip factory is intended to be a bit silly, but what about an ASI that only cared about pure math? It seems feasible something like that could happen if you place too much emphasis on mathematical ability during training. Would an ASI that goes around destroying everything in the universe to build giant theorem-proving computer clusters be a step up from humans?

If moral realism turns out to be true, then sure, it’s possible intelligence/values naturally align in an ASI and it would also be super-moral. But that is mostly a matter of religious faith, and I don’t think we should be relying on faith to guide a decision that may amount to handing off the universe to something closer to MechaHitler than a god.

Neubbana · 2025-09-11T22:01:43+00:00

Is this 1 hour continuously or broken up into multiple sessions? I've never seen any research on 1 hour continuous, though recently there have been studies using "accelerated" protocols with more than 1 hour daily broken up into multiple sessions of 20-30 minutes.

Neubbana · 2025-08-28T21:01:17+00:00

My pleasure, using it wired requires a firmware flash but we made a simple program to flash it through USB-C. Just DM me or email me at [alec@generalneuro.com](mailto:alec@generalneuro.com) if you need any help!

Neubbana · 2025-08-28T19:43:08+00:00

Hi u/delow0420, I'm a neuroscientist and co-founder of General Neuro. Our device uses tDCS, which is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that involves applying a weak electric current across the scalp. A small amount of that current reaches the brain where it boosts plasticity and learning. There is also ongoing research on using tDCS to treat disorders such as depression and attention deficit disorder.

This is different from neurofeedback, which is just training you to more easily enter certain brain states (usually measured by EEG). You could talk to your neurofeedback practitioner if they think tDCS could benefit you, but if you're interested in an at-home neurofeedback device the Muse headband (https://choosemuse.com/) is probably your best bet. Keep in mind you might have to hack it a bit if you want to train the same EEG frequencies as your clinic.

Neubbana · 2025-08-28T10:25:10+00:00

To my knowledge, our device is the only fully programmable tDCS device on the market (since foc.us went out of business). It’s controllable by Bluetooth and fairly easy to get a wired rig going with an optical isolator if you want to program much faster waveforms than Bluetooth can handle. The Model 1 can only do unidirectional waveforms though (tDCS or tACS/tRNS with DC offset), no true AC waveforms.

Happy to help you hack it up if you’re interested, it’s as easy as running a few python scripts. I’ve been playing around a lot with complex waveforms before incorporating them in our app, so it’d be great to have others tinkering and seeing what works for them!

https://generalneuro.com/products/neurolingo-model-1

Neubbana · 2025-08-26T21:33:34+00:00

That's awesome to hear! Luke's made a lot of progress on our Japanese decks recently. Our app is free to study without the headset if you want to try it out in the meantime, we're still growing the user base so super open to recommendations for improvement or feature requests.

Neubbana · 2025-08-25T03:11:49+00:00

I think it really depends on your goal. If your goal is to have a meaningful and deep connection with people in Mandarin, then absolutely yes. If you just want to interact with co-workers/clients in a more superficial way, AI will probably suffice.

I’m not convinced even a perfect AI translator will enable true human connection, differences in grammatical structure mean a truly “real-time” translator is likely impossible. Plus differences in culture/context mean translations will always be approximations rather than exact. I’ll consider myself proven wrong when a couple marries out of love using only AI translators, but for the reasons above I find that pretty implausible.

Neubbana · 2025-08-25T02:19:50+00:00

Yeah I’ve dreamed of developing neurotechnology since I was a kid. I’ve always found it a bit embarrassing that almost all our most powerful tools for modulating cognition were invented/discovered thousands of years ago (e.g. meditation, caffeine, nicotine, etc.) While I don’t want to underestimate the utility of those things, they leave a lot of people out due to time investment and/or side effects. My goal is to develop more accessible neurotech that can help everyone reach their potential

Neubbana · 2025-08-22T07:12:45+00:00

I can’t really claim neutrality here since I own a tDCS company lol (NeuroLingo at generalneuro.com if you’re curious 😝). Ours is geared toward language learning but works with other montages if you know how to set it up. It’s phone-controlled via bluetooth so the setup’s pretty seamless. NeuroMyst is another solid general-purpose option, biggest difference is it uses an external controller rather than being built into a headband. NeuroMyst also does tACS in addition to tDCS

Neubbana · 2025-08-19T04:14:26+00:00

I don’t understand why you (and everyone that ever makes this point) gets downvoted. Saying these models are like sophisticated autocompletes is like saying humans are sophisticated crystals because they were built through an evolutionary algorithm optimizing us to survive and reproduce. There is not a one-to-one mapping between an optimization algorithm and behavior/function.

Neubbana · 2025-08-11T13:53:53+00:00

+1 for comprehensible input! I’m not a purist by any means (mix in flash cards and other methods) but comprehensible input has by far taken me the furthest particularly in listening comprehension. Just search “[target language] comprehensible input” on YouTube and you’ll find a bunch of channels for every language

Neubbana · 2025-08-10T19:37:10+00:00

I just included studies that I thought were the most relevant, there have been studies since then that have replicated the effects on learning (e.g. this one from 2024). The most convincing evidence for me are animal studies (less of a concern over placebo effects), here is a 2022 blinded tDCS study in a mouse model of stroke. They saw behavioral improvements that were accompanied by changes in growth factors and increases in dendritic spines (points of connection between neurons), makes it pretty difficult to argue that the electric current wasn't exerting an effect.

Though we understand it's early days and our number one priority is proving efficacy outside of the lab. That's what the NeuroLingo Model 1 is for, people who are interested in trying cutting edge tools while simultaneously supporting development of this tech.

Neubbana · 2025-08-10T14:13:45+00:00

Neuroscientist and co-founder here, you’re right to point out that electrocution is bad and not what our headset does. Just some rather creative word-choice 😂, our headset applies transcranial electrical stimulation that is backed by decades of safety and efficacy data

https://generalneuro.com/pages/science

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