Do-It-Yourself Brain Stimulation Has Scientists Worried 311
Freshly Exhumed writes "Dave Siever always fancied himself as something of a musician, but also realized he did not necessarily sing or play in perfect key. Then he strapped on the electrodes of a device made by his Edmonton company, and zapped his brain's auditory cortex with a mild dose of electricity. The result, he claims, was a dramatic improvement in his ability to hear pitch, including the sour notes he produced himself. 'Now I tune everything and I practise my singing over and over and over again, because I'm more sensitive to it.' Mr. Siever was not under the supervision of a doctor or psychologist, and nor is he one himself. He is part of an extraordinary trend that has amateur enthusiasts excited, and some scientists deeply nervous: do-it-yourself brain stimulation." With studies suggesting that small doses of electricity can: increase your memory, help you learn new tasks, make you better at math, turn you into a sniper in minutes, and most importantly make the ugly seem attractive, we can expect a lot of brain zapping in the next few years.
Which part of the brain do you need to zap to (Score:5, Insightful)
experience an orgasm?
-Luis Wu
Placebo effect? (Score:5, Insightful)
zapped his brain's auditory cortex with a mild dose of electricity. The result, he claims, was a dramatic improvement in his ability to hear pitch, including the sour notes he produced himself.
How the hell would he know if it didn't? Can we get testimonials of his friends? Otherwise, I'm claiming placebo effect.
Re:Which part of the brain do you need to zap to (Score:5, Insightful)
Probably safer than the pharmacological approaches to achieving the same goal...
Re:Which part of the brain do you need to zap to (Score:5, Insightful)
...make you think it's a really good idea to zap vague areas of your brain with electricity based on the hilariously incomplete field of neuroscience?
Re:Republicans should "go for it" (Score:2, Insightful)
The GOP is an opt in grouping of individuals based upon having similar views. These views include disbelief in climate change and skepticism science in general, so comparing it with the Chinese, Japanese or Blacks doesn't make any meaningful sense. These are not groups that you get to join later on because you like the cultural values.
Re: Republicans should "go for it" (Score:5, Insightful)
Because you get to choose whether or not you're a member of the party.
I'm not responsible for the actions of other white men, unless I permit their behavior, but I am partially responsible for the behavior of any group I join.
As for discriminating against the GOP, they're main reason for existing is to discriminate against anybody that isn't in their shrinking clique. Sexual minorities, Muslims, the poor, children et al., are groups that they regularly act to marginalize.
Re:Open Research... (Score:3, Insightful)
One problem with your idea... everyones brain is completely different. When actual scientists do this they do multiple high resolution MRIs of the patients brain and study them for months before trying anything. Then they apply very tightly controlled current to tiny areas of the brain. What these people are doing is just as likely to turn on the "homicidal rage" part of their brains as it is anything else.
Re:Which part of the brain do you need to zap to (Score:2, Insightful)
Indeed, and the scary thing is that there's actually evidence to support the notion that ones neurobiology can cause uncontrollable rage when not treated.
I've personally got a few brain injuries that have caused me trouble over the years. I would strongly advise people to take care of their heads as even a small amount of damage to the wrong place can cause long term problems. And at this stage, there's still a ton of research that needs doing just to understand how the brain works.
Re:Open Research... (Score:4, Insightful)
And the result of that was that we got *so* cautious that we essentially stopped going to space entirely.
I politely call your attention to all the astronauts who trained and will never be able to go to space.
Going to space is dangerous. People will die.
Look at the numbers willing to go to Mars, one way, and die before they would on earth.
Re:Which part of the brain do you need to zap to (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Republicans should "go for it" (Score:5, Insightful)
These views include disbelief in climate change
News to me.
skepticism science in general
Do tell!
Really, please do keep telling me what I believe. Here I thought I just had socially and fiscally conservative leanings; who knows what else you can tell me about my views!
Several answers (Score:5, Insightful)
"Which part of the brain do you need to zap to" ...
...make you think it's a really good idea to zap vague areas of your brain with electricity based on the hilariously incomplete field of neuroscience?
Several answers:
* The part that makes someone an experimental neuroscientist of the type which are currently conducting this research?
* The part that allow Marie Curie to kill herself with radiation poisoning before it was known radiation was dangerous?
* The part that caused Thomas Edison to do shotgun testing of materials for a lightbulb filament?
* The part that caused Johnny Knoxville to make the Jackass series?
* The part that caused Geoffrey Robson to kill himself while working to improve wingsuits?
* The part that caused Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee to allow themselves to be bolted into Apollo 1?
* The part that caused Vijay Pande to believe crowd-sourcing science was a good idea?
* etc.
Pick your part.
Re: Republicans should "go for it" (Score:4, Insightful)
Somehow this is being translated into "GOP hates children", which is laughable.
At least until they're born. After that, fuck 'em, they're on their own, right?