A group of researchers developed a system that could help improve the brain’s ability to recall events in patients with brain deterioration. However, it is too early for the technology to be used for Alzheimer’s patients. A Deep-Brain Stimulation device. (Image via IOS Press)
The brain, the most mysterious organ in the human body, is constantly debated among neuroscientists. Recently, a team of researchers built a system that could help treat memory loss of challenges. The new discovery is based on a combination of Deep-Brain Stimulation and well-timed observation of the interactions between neurons. The experiment involved learning from the normal activities of the brain and artificially recreating those interactions. Researchers measured the electrical patterns in the brain of patients when they remembered something and compared it to the patterns when the patients could not remember. What they learned is that there is an area of the brain, the lateral temporal cortex, which is instrumental in the mechanism of memory. Ultimately, the results show that with the combination of DBS (Deep-Brain Stimulation) and the observations, patients could see an improve of their memory faculty by fifteen percent.
However, Pr. Kahana of the University of Pennsylvania, who was leading the research team with Youssef Ezzyat, felt that those results were not enough to conclude that the system could be used for serious cases like Alzheimer’s disease. According to Kahana, the effects of DBS on the brain are only effective when the brain activity has slowed down. Despite his skepticism, some scientists like Professor Gwen Smith of the University of John Hopkins, are excited about the findings. She not only believes in the potential of Kahana’s research but also trusts in the method used to conduct it. She is supported in her opinion by Pr. Itzhak Fried, a neurosurgery expert of the University of California, who also believes that it will be safer to wait for improved outcomes from the study before drawing any conclusion regarding any possible cure for brain damages. One of Smith’s colleagues, Andres Lozano of the University of Toronto, thinks that even though DBS is effective only for short-term memory, Kahana’s team is onto something. According to Lozano, Kahana’s system might not be so invasive since it will help the brain heal itself. All these results inspired some researchers at NeuroPace to create a prosthetic device that should help epilepsy sufferers offset the effects of a seizure by preventing it.
Meanwhile, some members of the science community are having other plans for the new discovery. This group of people believes that everybody might be able to use a boost of memory. One of them is Bryan Johnson, the head of a company focused on neurotechnology. Although he seems to appreciate the value of the implant, he might not totally grasp the costs, both physical and ethical, of the procedure. Dreaming of a general application of the technology of the implant is, however, forgivable given that the results of the research didn’t indicate that it was specifically designed for ill people. In addition, Fried who is against the extension of the implant to the public, might find peace knowing that not everyone can afford a brain surgery, for fun. And, even if someone could, learning about the possible dangers of it should cool the hunger for the procedure. At least, till the day surgical interventions on the brain are completely safe.
While congratulations are in order for the advances in brain research, there is no denial that Kahana’s brain implant is not ready to be used on Alzheimer’s patients yet. The scientific community is certainly divided as far the possible uses of the device, but it will serve humanity best if they can attempt to work together, instead of chasing personal gains. The situation with current medications and all their side effects should be proof to scientists that the lives of the very people who rely on them for survival cannot be toyed with; certainly not for personal gain or ego.
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