Mind controls: Wires in the brain

Health 12 April 2011

Of all the new techniques in the neuroscientist’s toolbag, the longest-established technology is deep brain stimulation (DBS), in which electrodes are permanently implanted in the brain and connected to a power source placed under the collarbone. This is now a mainstream treatment for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders; switching on the current calms the spot in the brain that is responsible for the tremors or spasms. The technique has also recently been approved in the US for treating the severest forms of obsessive compulsive disorder.

The ability to temporarily disable or stimulate parts of the brain with the flick of a switch has led researchers to explore DBS in the treatment of several other conditions, including epilepsy, depression, obesity and drug addiction. But its invasive nature means it is only ever likely to be used for the most serious cases when all other treatments have failed. That’s because there is up to a 3 per cent risk of bleeding or stroke from the surgery and the risk of infection is up to 5 per cent.

VERDICT Offers precision targeting but too risky for anything but the most serious conditions. That makes cognitive enhancement a no-no.

Read more:

Mind controls: Eight new tools to boost your brain


Mind controls: Running electricity through the skull

Mind controls: Electrodes sitting on the brain’s surface
Epidural cortical stimulation is a halfway house: you do get a hole in your head, but no wires in the brain, and it has helped severely depressed people

Mind controls: A traffic cop on the nerve superhighway

Mind controls: Good vibrations reach deep in the brain

Mind controls: Magnetic relief for depression

Mind controls: Putting a light switch in the brain

Mind controls: How magnets make the worm turn

More on these topics: