7 ms·

Tiny magnetically powered implant may be future of deep brain stimulation

62 points by dr_dshiv 6y ago

chairmanwow1 6y ago
As a side note, I’m always super skeptical when I see links with small numbers of votes sitting on the front page (currently sitting at 12 votes and 0 comments). I always just assume it is the result of a voting ring or someone sharing the link with people to upvote directly instead of natural voting behavior.
- josefresco 6y ago
  I always assume it received up-votes from long tenured and highly ranked users.
- dr_dshiv 6y ago
  As the original poster, I only wish I had a cabal to upvote my posts. I saw the link on Google news and I was hoping to get some clarity on the concept from folks here.
- CBLT 6y ago
  When I see the same, I assume people don't want to comment based only on the title of the post, but don't feel ashamed to upvote for a title.
- Gabriel_Martin 6y ago
  I've been holding my tongue lately since Dang had to chide me for a bunch of angry comments and calling out an account I felt was astroturfing. Just so you know, it turns out comments like that are actually against the rules. Just passing on what I learned not long ago.
- dang 6y ago
  That's definitely not true. It's not uncommon for articles, especially on specialized topics, to sit on the front page without comments. That can actually be a good thing, because it can take a while for relevant comments on a lesser-known topic to appear.
xwdv 6y ago
Magnetic? No thanks. You go through an MRI and your brain turns to scrambled egg.
- lgats 6y ago
  could be 'magnetically' powered without being magnetic or MRI sensitive. RFID implants take advantage of electromagnetic coupling, but are MRI safe.
  - willcipriano 6y ago
    Even if it was MRI sensitive, never having a MRI again would be a small price to pay for a Parkinson's cure.
jerrysievert 6y ago
> Scientists observed that the animals preferred to be in areas of their enclosures where a magnetic field activated the stimulator, and provided a small voltage to the reward center of their brains. reminds me a little bit of the wires in Larry Niven's books (ringworld, et al), where Louis Wu is implanted with a wire into the pleasure center of his brain and becomes highly addicted. if this is as non-invasive of a surgery as the article suggests, it could be the next avenue of "fun".
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  The end of porn and typical recreational activities as we know it. Cut out the middle person, jump right to properly applied current to the wetware.
  - darepublic 6y ago
    you mean the pornification of everything
    - toomuchtodo 6y ago
      Is it still porn if it’s just electrical current giving you a virtual dopamine hit? No sexual themes required.
      - darepublic 6y ago
        Not require but it's like texture with food.. dopamine is the flavour but the story is the texture
madmaniak 6y ago
Straight to the point - stimulating reward center you can train any brain to willing perform any task. Human with such implant will do - and enjoy - whatever is the will of unit controlling the implant. The reward center is crutial in creatures self learning process.
seesawtron 6y ago
Original Paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.019
spike021 6y ago
Whoa, this is potentially a pretty cool device. I don't have Parkinsons, but I do have Essential Tremor[0]. I'm only in my late 20's now but I've had it since at least my early teens, and it hasn't improved. In some ways it's possibly gotten a bit worse over time as well. When I last saw a neurologist about it about ten years ago, they could really only recommend prescription medicine with nasty side-effects, so I decided with my parents at the time that improving the tremor at the cost of depression and other issues wouldn't be worth it. I'm hopeful in the next decade or so there'll be something like this that could resolve it before it gets to the point where I'm unable to feed myself; I believe in the past there were companies that invented eating utensils for people with severe tremors, but that's not ideal. [0] https://essentialtremor.org/ https://essentialtremor.org/
- RhysU 6y ago
  Tremor sufferers are a wildly underserved community from a technology perspective, if anyone wants to jump in. I hope usability advancements outdo my personal ET decline as I age. And if not for me, for my children which will have the same as my father has before me.
neural_thing 6y ago
See DARPA'S N3 program for a variety of minimally invasive approaches to brain stimulation.
dr_dshiv 6y ago
Why would this magnetic approach be better than using EMF to transmit power?

62 points by dr_dshiv 6y ago

As a side note, I’m always super skeptical when I see links with small numbers of votes sitting on the front page (currently sitting at 12 votes and 0 comments). I always just assume it is the result of a voting ring or someone sharing the link with people to upvote directly instead of natural voting behavior.

josefresco 6y ago
I always assume it received up-votes from long tenured and highly ranked users.
dr_dshiv 6y ago
As the original poster, I only wish I had a cabal to upvote my posts. I saw the link on Google news and I was hoping to get some clarity on the concept from folks here.
CBLT 6y ago
When I see the same, I assume people don't want to comment based only on the title of the post, but don't feel ashamed to upvote for a title.
Gabriel_Martin 6y ago
I've been holding my tongue lately since Dang had to chide me for a bunch of angry comments and calling out an account I felt was astroturfing. Just so you know, it turns out comments like that are actually against the rules. Just passing on what I learned not long ago.
dang 6y ago
That's definitely not true. It's not uncommon for articles, especially on specialized topics, to sit on the front page without comments. That can actually be a good thing, because it can take a while for relevant comments on a lesser-known topic to appear.

xwdv 6y ago

Magnetic? No thanks. You go through an MRI and your brain turns to scrambled egg.

lgats 6y ago
could be 'magnetically' powered without being magnetic or MRI sensitive. RFID implants take advantage of electromagnetic coupling, but are MRI safe.
- willcipriano 6y ago
  Even if it was MRI sensitive, never having a MRI again would be a small price to pay for a Parkinson's cure.

jerrysievert 6y ago

> Scientists observed that the animals preferred to be in areas of their enclosures where a magnetic field activated the stimulator, and provided a small voltage to the reward center of their brains. reminds me a little bit of the wires in Larry Niven's books (ringworld, et al), where Louis Wu is implanted with a wire into the pleasure center of his brain and becomes highly addicted. if this is as non-invasive of a surgery as the article suggests, it could be the next avenue of "fun".

toomuchtodo 6y ago
The end of porn and typical recreational activities as we know it. Cut out the middle person, jump right to properly applied current to the wetware.
- darepublic 6y ago
  you mean the pornification of everything
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    Is it still porn if it’s just electrical current giving you a virtual dopamine hit? No sexual themes required.
    - darepublic 6y ago
      Not require but it's like texture with food.. dopamine is the flavour but the story is the texture

madmaniak 6y ago

Straight to the point - stimulating reward center you can train any brain to willing perform any task. Human with such implant will do - and enjoy - whatever is the will of unit controlling the implant. The reward center is crutial in creatures self learning process.

seesawtron 6y ago

Original Paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.019

spike021 6y ago

Whoa, this is potentially a pretty cool device. I don't have Parkinsons, but I do have Essential Tremor[0]. I'm only in my late 20's now but I've had it since at least my early teens, and it hasn't improved. In some ways it's possibly gotten a bit worse over time as well. When I last saw a neurologist about it about ten years ago, they could really only recommend prescription medicine with nasty side-effects, so I decided with my parents at the time that improving the tremor at the cost of depression and other issues wouldn't be worth it. I'm hopeful in the next decade or so there'll be something like this that could resolve it before it gets to the point where I'm unable to feed myself; I believe in the past there were companies that invented eating utensils for people with severe tremors, but that's not ideal. [0] https://essentialtremor.org/ https://essentialtremor.org/

RhysU 6y ago
Tremor sufferers are a wildly underserved community from a technology perspective, if anyone wants to jump in. I hope usability advancements outdo my personal ET decline as I age. And if not for me, for my children which will have the same as my father has before me.

neural_thing 6y ago

See DARPA'S N3 program for a variety of minimally invasive approaches to brain stimulation.

dr_dshiv 6y ago

Why would this magnetic approach be better than using EMF to transmit power?