Controlling Brain Activity With Magnetic Nanoparticles

sciencehabit writes: Deep brain stimulation, which now involves surgically inserting electrodes several inches into a person's brain and connecting them to a power source outside the skull, can be an extremely effective treatment for disorders such as Parkinson's disease, obsessive compulsive disorder, and depression. The expensive, invasive procedure doesn't always work, however, and can be risky. Now, a study in mice (abstract) points to a less invasive way to massage neuronal activity, by injecting metal nanoparticles into the brain and controlling them with magnetic fields. The technique could eventually provide a wireless, nonsurgical alternative to traditional deep brain stimulation surgery, researchers say.

I am IRON MAN...

[Dareth]

I am IRON MAN...hey wait turn that off... AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!! That hurts!!!

Well that de-escalated slowly

[Sowelu]

You know it's bad when "injecting metal nanoparticles into the brain and controlling them with magnetic fields" is LESS invasive.

Re:

[Wintermute__]

And now you've got these nanoparticles in your brain. Better avoid strong magnetic fields. And by the way, probably not a good idea to take any long airline flights anymore either. Yay less invasive therapy!

Re:

[R3d M3rcury]

Better avoid strong magnetic fields.

...or you'll end up singing folk music. [youtube.com]

Re:

[Neil Boekend]

It's iron oxide. The body can absorb a steel splinter in a week and steel splinters have a far less surface to volume ratio.

I expect that it'll be absorbed in the day after the treatment. After being absorbed the body is quite able to deal with the iron ions. The free oxygen ions from this will probably be more dangerous but even there the human body has had 0.85 million years of evolution to cope with it (since the Great Oxygenation Event [wikipedia.org]).

Re:

[mridion]

DARPA Is Developing Implants To Heal Soldiers’ Bodies and Minds link [blacklistednews.com]
Verified case in courts of electronic harassment of targeted individual James Walbert with MRIs of implants in the neck and head youtube [youtube.com]
NASA Develops System To Computerize Silent, 'Subvocal Speech' sciencedaily [sciencedaily.com]
Harold Holt Murder - Gary's CT Scan Images of device in throat (1979) harold-holt.net [harold-holt.net]
Powering micro-implants using high frequency waves extremetech.com [extremetech.com]
Literal Smart Dust Opens Brain-Computer Pathway to "Spy on You

Re:

[ColdWetDog]

I'm pretty sure this is our cue to throw out the tinfoil hats and embrace our new singular existence.

How about if we just welcome our new magnetic mouse overlords?

Re:

[fustakrakich]

inserting fake memories

What, they make 'em watch TV?

I read this as...

[fiore42]

"Controlling Brain Activity with Magnetic Monopoles", and thought that it didn't seem like a terribly practical technique.

Beacuse...

[zentigger]

What could possibly go wrong?

Re:

[fustakrakich]

Heh, if you prefer to have holes drilled in your skull, be my guest. I think going the 'Fantastic Voyage' route is more interesting, especially with live video from the inside.

Well, this can't possibly go wrong

[Catbeller]

So, we can inject a brain and then play games with it magnetically. I'm sure no one will use it to punish people, alter their behavior at will, or to try to change rebellious people into get-along types. Oh, oh, yes - or to try to quiet their kids down to get better grades and do more homework. After all, we nail them with chemicals to do those very things. No one will try to take a solid-state shortcut. 'Cause we don't trust tech that much, do we? No siree. We don't have blind faith in our programming skill and computer use, which is what is required to pull this off.

Re:

[ultranova]

I'm sure no one will use it to punish people, alter their behavior at will, or to try to change rebellious people into get-along types.

As opposed to using social pressure, propaganda/advertizing and the legal system to do the exact same thing? It's just business as usual for any being living in a society.

doesn't everyone?

[turkeydance]

i mean, c'mon man.

Wire heads

[godel_56]

.

. . . injected custom-made, 20-nanometer iron oxide particles into a region of the rodents' brains called the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a well-studied deep brain structure essential to the experience of reward, which plays a central role in disorders such as addiction and depression in people

Think of Larry Niven's "wire head' addicts and the Puppeteer's Tasp in Ring World. There are potentials for both private and governmental abuse.

Any sufficiently advanced technology

[hey!]

is indistinguishable from Star Trek technobabble, apparently.

Horrible

[cynicist]

This sounds like the modern-day lobotomy. I wonder how it will be viewed a few decades from now.

what's strange about this: RE nano particles

[modpod]

what's strange about this is anti psychotic injections: invega and risperidone consta, already contain nano particles as their method of delivering the medication to the brain/blood stream. believe me, I would have never done this to myself but otherwise I'd be without a place to live right now.