The Sydney Morning Herald heralds a scary-sounding development, profiling a headset being marketed to gamers that will "Overclock your brain using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to increase the plasticity of your brain. Make your synapses fire faster" (thanks MCV). One could argue that your synapses would have to be operating pretty slowly to start with to find this appealing, but just in case, they offer a few cautions:

The company says the headset is not a medical device and is not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. It also says the device meets all regulated safety standards but warns against its use by epilepsy sufferers or anyone with implants.

Professor Colleen Loo, from the University of NSW school of psychiatry and clinical and research psychiatrist with the Black Dog Institute said the effect on the brain was dependent on where and how the electrodes were positioned. ''It's a bit like having an accelerator and brake in a car,'' she said. ''Neither is bad and both are very useful but applying them judiciously at the right time and in the right context is absolutely essential. I think stimulation of yourself with do-it-yourself kits is potentially quite dangerous.