'Brain Pacemakers' Being Tested 352
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."
Re:no good. (Score:4, Informative)
BASF... (Score:3, Informative)
Just now, I realise that nobody is likely to care, but I answered the question already, so I'm posting the answer anyway.
Re:Clockwork Orange comes to life (Score:5, Informative)
It works. (Score:5, Informative)
FDA already approved "Activa" therapy (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.medtronic.com/activa/physician/impla
The unit is implanted close to the shoulder, and the leads are fed through the neck, up to the brain.
If symptoms are isolated to one side of the body, only one set of leads are required... otherwise two sets of leads are needed to treat both sides of the body.
This is the only FDA approved implantable device for brain stimulation that I know of.
Re:Anyone know how far we may be from... (Score:3, Informative)
You MUST read Cory Doctorow's
Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom
It talks about backing up brains and the effect it has on a human society.
http://craphound.com/down/download.php
It's free, too!
Great story!
Re:no good. (Score:5, Informative)
I wouldn't like to see ECT or probes in the brain used as a first resort for someone who'd been depressed for a couple of weeks, as a little help can go a LONG way in many people.
The shocks used in ECT are quite controlled, with muscle relaxants to minimise any muscular contraction that goes along with the shock. It works for some reason, and that reason isn't exactly known. Personally I don't give a shit why it works or how, or even if it wipes 20 years from my life. Chronic treatment resistant depression has laid waste to the last 20 years of my life, doing nothing isn't going to make the next 20 any better.
History of Lobotomy (Score:5, Informative)
The article briefly mentioned the dark history of psychosurgery. A few interesting details were omitted however.
The most popular kind of psychosurgery ever done was the prefontal lobotomy. This technique had something of a heyday in the 1940s.
The gentleman who invented the lobotomy (Freeman) lacked any surgical training. He would perform the procedure on an outpatient basis; he drove around the countryside in his "loboto-mobile" (quite seriously) and performed thousands of the operations himself.
His method of lobotomizing involved jamming an icepick through the eye socket with a hammer, until the icepick was deeply recessed within the brain. Then he would wiggle the icepick around vigorously. (I'm not making this up). The entire procedure took less than 5 minutes. A hospital visit was unnecessary.
Freeman went around the country demonstrating the procedure in mental hospitals etc. The technique fell out of favor in the 1950s, when it was learned that lobotomies had no therapeutic value whatsoever, and often had severe and permanent side-effects.
These really work (Score:2, Informative)
Biofeedback (Score:2, Informative)
You can use biofeedback (or more specifically neurofeedback) to "train up" this natural pacemaker activity, teaching the brain to relieve it's own Parkinson's symptoms. This would have the advantage of having a lot fewer side effects than opening up the skill and jamming electrified wires in your brain.
A good resource for people interested in non-surgical ways of changing their brain is Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz's book "The Mind and the Brain: neuroplasticity and the power of mental force" -- he demonstrates how people can cause profound changes in their brain wiring merely through thought.
Insight meditation, for example has been proven helpful in teaching OCD patients how to gain control over their own obsessive thoughts.
It certainly sounds sexy to have something like electric implants but there are other ways to get the benefits without the side effects of brain surgery. It's kind of like a back patient has the choice of having their vertebrae fused or going to a chiropractor or physical therapist.
The Original Clockwork Orange (Score:3, Informative)
I managed to get a copy of the book finally, and discovered wonderful passages such as the following on page 115:
This passage is eerily reminiscent of a passage from Richard Dawkins' "The Extended Phenotype [amazon.com]" chapter titled "Host Phenotypes of Parasite Genes":
Re:History of Lobotomy (Score:4, Informative)
I didn't belive you until I read this [everything2.com].
The procedure even had experienced neurosergeons fainting...
I wouldn't worry, I make these....... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:no good. (Score:3, Informative)
Typically, a person has a few treatments within a few days. The mechanism of its action is mysterious. It works very well for some people, though. The most likely adverse effect is amnesia, especially for events surrounding the therapy. The recovery from depression can be very fast compared to medications. I have heard of people who preferred ECT to drugs upon having a recurrence of depression years later because it had worked very quickly for them the first time, and they did not want to wait so long to get better. People who receive therapy usually come out with much improved mood and seem perfectly normal.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an investigational tool that may replace ECT someday. The idea is the same, to cause a burst of activity within the brain. It might offer the advantage of better targeting. The magnetic pulses are focused somehow to affect structures such as the amygdala and cingulate gyrus more than the rest of the brain and the body. I have heard that early studies have shown promise, but I have not read about it first hand.
Whether or not you decide to pursue ECT, I wish you the best.
Re:Epileptic Stimulator (Score:2, Informative)
The point is, this is approved because it is safe - it doesn't damage the heart, though I'm sure it's possible that some side effects could include those on heart rate. And "sending shocks into nerves" - this is how the body sends signals on nerves! Sending excess current in would be a bad idea, yes, but electricity itself is not evil. Similarly, it seems that limited electrical signals in the brain could have benefits that outweigh the negatives.
ps: I have no idea WHY vagal stimulation works, though.
Re:no good. But No Choice (Score:3, Informative)
Given the history of ECT it was a very scary thing for me to consent to, but if it wasn't available then I wouldn't be writing this now.