Brain Implants

Electrical brain stimulation for coma reversal:

Back From the Dead

By Gary Greenberg

applying electrical currents to spinal nerves to stimulate the brain.

The surgeon mentioned in the story, Edwin Cooper, has published a number of studies on the technique, which involves applying an electrical current to the right median nerve which connects directly to the spine.

A Japanese team is attempting to do something similar, but uses electrodes implanted directly in the spine itself to stimulate the dorsal column.

The idea behind the treatment is that the electrical current travels up the spinal nerves and boosts the reticular activating system, a part of the brain stem known to be involved in arousal and motivation.

See the following picture explaining a median nerve to forearm cuff implant.

http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/inside_the_brain/index.html

Full-size image

Battle Lines in Treating Depression

BARNABY J. FEDER

Published: September 10, 2006

The Cyberonics implant sends electrical pulses to a nerve in the neck.

See the following picture of a vagus nerve wrap implant.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/business/yourmoney/10cyber.html

Implant Surgery

Implanting the VNS battery in a patient and connecting it to the vagus nerve takes about an hour. It is usually done under general anesthesia, though local anesthesia is sometimes used. The operation can be done on an in-patient or out-patient basis.

http://www.epilepsyontario.org/client/EO/EOWeb.nsf/web/Introduction+to+Vagus+Nerve+Stimulation

See the following picture of a vagus nerve implant.

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/treatment/vns/vnssurgery.cfm

Activa Therapy – Deep Brain Stimulation

1. Neurostimulator -- A pacemaker-like device that is the power source for the system. It contains a small battery and computer chip programmed to send electrical pulses to control Parkinson's disease symptoms.

2. Lead -- An insulated wire with four electrodes.

3. Extension -- An insulated wire placed under the scalp that connects to the lead and runs behind the ear, down the neck, and into the chest below the collarbone where it connects to the neurostimulator.

http://www.saltlakeregional.com/services/neurology/deep_brain_stimulation/

This timeline shows the story behind the development of Medtronic Activa Therapy:

http://www.medtronic.com/physician/activa/history.html

See the following picture of a neurostimulator.

http://www.saltlakeregional.com/second/services/deep_brain_stim.htm

Apparatus and method for treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders using programmerless implantable pulse generator system

See the following diagram explaining an implantable pule generator system.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6760626.html

Implants to brainstem

First brainstem implants aim to tackle deafness

19:00 07 January 2004

The devices are designed to restore hearing by directly stimulating nerves.

See the following picture explaining an implant plugged to the brainstem.

http://environment.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn4540/dn4540-1_839.jpg

Pass-thoughts: authenticating with our minds

Julie Thorpe Digital Security
Group School of Computer Science Carleton University Proceedings of the 2005 workshop on New security paradigms

ABSTRACT

We present a novel idea for user authentication that we call pass-thoughts. Recent advances in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology indicate that there is potential for a new type of human-computer interaction: a user transmitting thoughts directly to a computer. The goal of a pass-thought system would be to extract as much entropy as possible from a user's brain signals upon "transmitting" a thought. Provided that these brain signals can be recorded and processed in an accurate and repeatable way, a pass-thought system might provide a quasi two-factor, changeable, authentication method resistant to shoulder-surfing. The potential size of the space of a pass-thought system would seem to be unbounded in theory, although in practice it will be finite due to system constraints. In this paper, we discuss the motivation and potential of pass-thought authentication, the status quo of BCI technology, and outline the design of what we believe to be a currently feasible pass-thought system. We also briefly mention the need for general exploration and open debate regarding ethical considerations for such technologies.

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1146269.1146282

Is it possible to change judgements using electromagnetic impulses across the brain?

'Switching off' economic judgement with magnets:

The Times has a concise piece on a recent study published in Science magazine suggesting that performance on an economic bargaining task could be changed by altering the function of the brain with magnets.

http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/inside_the_brain/index.html

Index

R a n d a l l M o r t o n BBus BComp BPsych

Brain Implants

Implants to brainstem