`Speed' may help the blind to read.

A TOUCH-enhancing technique involving amphetamine could help the blind read Braille or pianists to play with more feeling, scientists said today.

Researchers heightened the sense of touch of volunteers by stimulating their fingertips and then giving them amphetamine (speed).

The Class A drug,part of various music culture scenes, increases nerve activity and wakefulness.

Amphetamine was found to double the touch heightening effect, which could be deleted by another drug.

Neurologist Hubert Dinse, who led the research at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, said: ``We are at the beginning of an era where we can interact with the brain.

``We can apply what we know about brain plasticity to train it to alter behaviour.

``People are always trying to find ways to improve learning. What we tested is unconscious skill learning. How far could this carry to cognitive learning? That remains to be seen.''

The findings were in the journal Science.

They said similar combined stimulation and drug treatments may eventually help elderly people or stroke victims perform day-to-day tasks such as buttoning shirts.