Some clinical devices currently developed to treat movement and memory problems may be the stepping stone to enhanced human intelligence (image via Ted Berger)
All kinds of human health problems are being fixed by targeting the brain. One technique in particular looks very promising for treating movement disorders and possibly restoring cognitive abilities. It simply involves sending small shocks of electrical current to parts of the brain.
Electroshock therapy often evokes images of screaming people in hospital gowns strapped to beds as their bodies writhe from the force of current. Once considered outdated and primitive, electroshock therapy has made a comeback in techniques used to stimulate the brain for therapeutic purposes. Approved for therapeutic use in 1997, deep brain stimulation is primarily used to treat motor diseases. The therapy consists of implanting electrodes in a person’s head, then administering small electrical shocks to different regions of the brain.
Even though it’s been in use for twenty years, how it works exactly is still unclear. There are several possible explanations, all involving advanced neuroscience. There are sometimes side effects to the treatment, ranging from depression to motor tics to euphoria.
Dr. Berger, a founder of the start-up testing the device (Kernel), is initially targeting it towards people with damaged areas in the brain. The current prosthesis restores a malfunctioning hippocampus, thus improving memory. The device translate electrical stimuli into code that prompts the hippocampus to store the information. The device has been tested successfully in rodents and currently in people. Once the initial kinks are ironed out, cognitive disabilities may become obsolete. But why stop there? Couldn’t the same technology be used to enhance normal brains? Could we one day remember all the details of our childhoods, or be able to solve complicated math problems without much effort? The stated goal of Kernel, after all, is to “dramatically improve the quality of human life”.
In the meantime, if you’re curious, you can stimulate your own brain to see if you like it. A quick internet search yields a wealth of information on how to make your own deep brain stimulator, using only a battery and some wiring (be careful, though, there are side effects). Perhaps enhancing our brains may one day be as simple as making little kits.
Now for their promotion video... seems like the pleasant message of some science fiction movie corporation. Hoping this one is a true one...
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