Brain Implants

Comments by Hugh Darrow on a panel at the 2009 International Gathering of Neuroscientific Researchers

I'm firmly convinced that neurostimulation technology can evolve to a level where it will not only aid those with neural dysfunction, but actually enhance the cognition of normal people.

This mechanism, a network of platinum iridium electrodes connected to a subcutaneously implanted pulse generator in either a titanium or g-loop coated capsule, has previously been used to suppress the effects of Parkinson's disease, dystonia and other neurological conditions. For example, in the case of non-Parkinsonian essential tremor, the electrodes are embedded in the ventrointermedial nucleus, or the thalamus, while the applications for dystonia and symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease - such as rigidity, bradykinesia or akinesia, tremor and the like - the electrode bouquet is typically inserted into the globus pallidus or the subthalamic nucleus, dependent on patient state.

We're already designing the next generation of these devices, with wireless dosing protocols and remote application. It's only a matter of allowing ourselves to take the next step and implant a 'healthy' person, to go beyond the merely therapeutic application and into the modificatory.