I recently came across a very interesting article on the IPlant currently under devlopment by Chris Harris, a researcher at the University of Sussex. It outlines the IPlane, a electrochemical chip inserted into the brain, which could enable treatment of certain mental illnesses, by directly stimulating the brain in a similar way to deep brain stimulation. For example by having it wirelessly connected to a sensor in a shoe, running triggers small bursts of dopamine, so that the user feels motivated to run. From what I understand this has actually already been tested on humans and works. Other implications include simulating serotonine areas of the brain to treat anxiety and depression, and in the more distant future directly stimulating visual and auditory areas to produce internalised visual and auditory experiences. Imagine watching a movie with yours eyes closed; pretty crazy stuff although scary for many. It also highlights some of the related ethical issues. Well worth a read.
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/harris20080112/
1 comment:
deep brain stimulation is a common medical procedure yes but using it as iPlant hardware has only been done in animals, particularly rats. what we do on the iPlant website is discuss and promote the next step, i.e. development for humans.
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