Thought control as cognition engineering becomes reality
Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging
Credit: Mark Lythgoe & Chloe Hutton, Wellcome Images
Last week, I returned home from a conference held in Tokyo called Neuro2007. Largely hosted by the biggest neuroscience institute in the world, the RIKEN institute, it was a good opportunity to gain insight on the focus of premier Japanese neuroscientists’ research.
Apart from leading studies in imaging diagnostics, epilepsy, stem cells, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, it was interesting to see a majority of the presentations focused on cognition. Originating from the Latin word cognoscere meaning “to know”, cognition is presently defined as information processing in relation to learning, knowledge, memory, intelligence and reasoning (see below for more detailed explanation).
One notable technology presented was transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which can non-invasively alter cognition processes, emotional states and unconscious motor behavior.
TMS uses changing external magnetic fields applied by a coil of wire within a plastic housing which is held above the head. The magnetic field passes through the skin and skull to induce currents within the brain tissue with the precision of millimetres to either block or stimulate cortical regions (high level processing centers). These focused external magnetic fields have been shown to alter someone’s thoughts and lead to a different behavioral outcomes. For instance, application of TMS to the right prefrontal cortex has been demonstrated to alter the decision making abilities of stock brokers. It was able to significantly increase their risk taking behavior. Furthermore, TMS can affect a subject’s emotional state by alleviating depression in some patients where anti-depression drugs are no longer effective. TMS has also been shown to alter motor movements by decreasing the tremors from Parkinson’s. And lastly, TMS has been shown to decrease short term pain in patients suffering from migraines.
Scientists are still unsure of the exact mechanisms for the TMS outcomes but are excited by the possibilities of blocking specific areas of the brain and unlocking critical pathways to depression, Parkinson’s, pain and cognition. Furthermore, these localized treatments for depression, for instance, will lead to less systemic side effects from drug treatment. This is great news to all the patients who have already developed drug-resistance and have few alternatives.
In the end, as more nations join Japan and Canada’s leading cognition institutes to fully map and understand the mind, it may one day be possible for us to learn how to utilize more than 10% of our brain. Now that would be interesting…
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Lincoln Kim is a member of the healthcare and life sciences team of the MaRS Venture Group. He evaluates and supports the development of technology platforms and commercial market opportunities of start up and emerging companies, facilitates collaboration among research groups and between research scientists and industry.
Lincoln - the concept of TMS is extraordinary, and frankly, quite frightening. What stage of development is this type of technology? Are there other non-invasive behaviour modification technologies? And how is Canada ranked in this arena?
Posted by: Scott on October 17th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Hi Scott,
Yes, the concept of TMS is quite interesting. In terms of development, it’s already being used in clinical settings for research. I believe this is one of the first non-invasive behaviour modification technologies, however, the mechanisms for these modifications need to be further elucidated. Canada is strong in imaging (likely within the top 10) and even stronger in cognition (probably within top 5) so any behaviour modification technologies will be extensively studied here. For instance, since TMS is largely being used for cognitive mapping, it’s not surprising that CAMH recently acquired one.
Posted by: Lincoln on October 20th, 2007 at 2:05 am