Slashdot Mirror
'Brain Pacemakers' Being Tested
meshmar writes "Shades of 'The Terminal Man'? Rob Stein of The Washington Post has reported, via MSNBC, that: 'A handful of scientists around the world have begun cautiously experimenting with devices implanted in patients' bodies to deliver precisely targeted electrical stimulation to the brain in hopes of treating otherwise hopeless behavioral, neurological and psychiatric disorders.' A lot of good can come out of this - potentially. But I can see a the potential for misuse too."
Shades of 'The Terminal Man'?
According to the novel a man with "psychomotor epilepsy" was severely hurting/killing people w/no memories of the events. He was implanted with some sort of device that shocked areas of his brain and stopped the seizures before they happened. The doctors chose an area of the brain that was the pleasure center. The brain began CAUSING seizures to get the shocks.
So, as long as they don't put the shocks into the pleasure centers this should work out! Sci-fi for the masses!
Note: I am only basing this on the book. IANANS (neurosurgeon).
I wonder if the progress of science in treating "mental illness" is potentially reducing the creativity of our race.
It's long been know that genius is "in bed" with madness.
Some of these "mad" people probably aren't mad at all.. they're just rather odd but that oddity gives can give them brilliant insight!
Simon.
DARPA researchers are also at work on the "Brain Machine Interface" ("neuromics") project, designed as a mind/machine interface, allowing mechanical devices to be controlled via thought-power. Thus far, researchers have taught a monkey to move a computer mouse and a telerobotic arm simply by thinking about it. With arrays of up to 96 electrodes implanted in their brains, the animals are able to reach for food with a robotic arm. Researchers even transmitted the signals over the internet, allowing remote control of an robotic arm 600 miles away. In the future they hope to develop a "non-invasive interface" for human use. Says DARPA, "The long-term Defense implications of finding ways to turn thoughts into acts, if it can be developed, are enormous: imagine U.S. warfighters that only need use the power of their thoughts to do things at great distances." For years, the U.S. military has been improving its ability to reach out and kill someone. What's the mantra of the future? Maybe, if you think it, they will die. Wild weapons of DARPA
MoFscker
Gee. Ya think?
Can we once and for all just declare that ANYTHING can be misued and be done with it? It's not exactly secret Jedi lore.
--- Ban humanity.
I really doubt this has much potential for misuse. Whatever misuse I can think of there is an easier method already invented. I mean if you let somebody stick an electronic gismo into your body you probably are desperate or out of your mind enough to submit to most anything. That comment by the poster really needs to be backed up. Until this it's just typical slashdot ramblings.
Ok, I read you link to Cyclothymic Personality Disorder. This is the most ridicules "disorder" ever invented. Just read it: has periods of sharpened and creative thinking alternating with periods of mental confusion and apathy; has depressive periods: depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities etc. etc. What this "disorder" do is really stigmatizes normal life with our ups and downs. This is what modern clinical psychology is all about to turn all of us into some kind of gray mass. If only they could they would sedate most if not all of slashdot readers.
Do you really think it would be so bad? Unless it were targeted to an area of the brain involved in pain processing, it would not be painful. If we were able to isolate the roots of antisocial behavior precisely enough to know certain brain areas and pathways, it might be cruel not to treat. Autonomy is a central idea of modern medicine and modern governments, and I would not advocate performing such procedures on a competent person against her or his wishes. Such treatments for people who could benefit, however, should be a goal.