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'Brain Pacemakers' Being Tested

Posted by simoniker on from the jolt-to-the-synapses dept.

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."

5 of 352 comments (clear)

  1. nah, probably not. by garcia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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).

    1. Re:nah, probably not. by woohoodonuts · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Moreover, researchers say, the treatment has the advantage of being able to be simply turned off or removed if it does not work or if problems occur.
      Nevertheless, the research arouses fears of reviving the reckless use of brain surgery, about the wisdom of poking around in what some consider the font of a person's humanity, about oversimplifying mental illness as a purely biological problem, and the temptation to move too quickly to try out new technologies.
      and then I read this
      A lot of good can come out of this - potentially. But I can see a the potential for misuse too.

      My question is this: what technology has been created in the past that COULD NOT have potentially been misused? Sure, you invented a pencil... a whole lot of good could come from this--but some dejected office worker could jam it in someone's ear too...

      This technology has the potential to be fantastic. Sure, a crazy mad scientist somewhere could definitely mess someone up pretty bad with this stuff--but how many medical procedures are already performed now where the doctor Doesn't have to power to seriously mess the patient up?

      I support this technology... Yeah, sure... Doctor's may be able to kill someone with it... but they also may just run someone over on the sidewalk driving home. And before anyone starts ranting about thousands of armies full of pacemaker brain-people... cut me a break. (although it would probably make a pretty cool book) There's too many things that are not directly related to science for that to happen... so the argument isnt' exactly with the science but with the implementation of it... There are more holes... also, but they're not on-topic to this discussion....

      Give science a break... this stuff could save lives and help out a lot of people.

  2. noozflash! by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 4, Insightful
    But I can see a the potential for misuse too."

    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.
    1. Re:noozflash! by lukewarmfusion · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, some things just happen to be more easily misused. For example:

      A fork can kill a person.
      A bomb can kill a person.

      Don't you think that such concerns are more warranted when someone builds a new kind of bomb than when they build a new kind of fork?

      This is a great little device that obviously has abuse written all over it. Even the good guys look at this and cringe. Such devices might look good on paper (or in a controlled lab) but I sure as hell don't want them anywhere else.

  3. Re:Clockwork Orange comes to life by yet+another+coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.