Brain stimulation can treat major depression Or Mind Control Device?

According to the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, targeting this region via an implanted cortical stimulator can lessen the symptoms of severe and medically refractory major depression.

Scientists concluded that deep brain and cortical stimulation are alternative methods for treating major depression.

This is very interesting. Another way to help yourself without having to give in to the large pharam companies and their hurtfull drugs.

Has anybody tried this method out yet? Or has this been known for a while?

I can only hope more studies to find alternative ways of treating illnesses are done.

Edit To Add & Change Title: A poster below put out a very interesting notion that skipped my view when first posting.

His idea was it would act a sort of mind control device, and that's actually not really a far fetched idea when you see them marketing anti depressants to younger and younger people.

Interesting notion.

~Keeper

[edit on 5/10/2009 by tothetenthpower]

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Do you have a link tothetenthpower ?

I watch a documentary were a clinically depressed women had regions of her brain stimulated . It was remarkable watching her facial expression/mood shift as they stimulated different regions .
It was rather hit and miss on the part of the doctors , she had to be conscious to give them feedback .
I believe they mentioned implants , can you imagine modulating your mood with the turn of a dial ? .

reply to post by UmbraSumus


Whoops, forgot the link here it is.

Right here

Thanks for reminding me .

~Keeper

Implanted cortical stimulator? I smell a mind control device.

They have been using these implantable electronic stimulators in the treatment of other disorders (for example, Parkinson's disease) with great success for many years (at least 15). And as someone who has had to take pharmaceutic antidepressants for several years, I wholeheartedly hope that this research is successful.

Think of the difference that pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators have made in the treatment of heart rhythm disorders. People who would have died or at least been completely reliant on medication are able to lead normal lives through such interventions.

I understand the concern regarding the possible application of this technology to mind control, and I share it. But I also believe that if such research is being done covertly, then it is being done; that is no excuse to keep such promising technology from people for whom it might have a legitimate use.

As I understand it, one problem with antidepressants is that the neurotransmitter systems that they act on are important in so many functions in the body aside from mood. These implantable electronic stimulation devices can be very precisely targeted; the hope is that only the area responsible for the mood disorder can be stimulated.


Here's another article on DBS (deep brain stimulation) in depression: source

And in Parkinson's: source

Well that's very interesting, I did not know they were using these already for other diseases.

Thanks for the imput everyone, it's much appreciated.

However, I still might be inclined to think it's a mind control device, since everybody has depression these days, it would be simple to get us buy into these implants .

~Keeper