Chicago Tribune - September 08, 2008
Sep. 8--Every day during a four-year deep depression, Sean Miller thought of ending his life. Nothing relieved the emotional darkness--not therapy, not medication, not loving attention from family and friends.
Then doctors in Toronto implanted electrodes in his brain and switched on an electrical current, and everything changed. Within a month, hope began to flicker. Within six months, Miller felt normal again.
"It's a miracle," said Miller, 41.
Actually, the credit goes to scientists' growing understanding of the electrical architecture of the brain--a vast, complex network of circuits that record and relay information--and a technique that offers new hope to people with treatment-resistant illnesses.
Deep brain stimulation, the treatment Miller received, employs electricity to jolt the brain in pinpointed locations. Already in use to treat Parkinson's disease, the therapy is being tested in Chicago for patients with severe depression, chronic pain and epilepsy and elsewhere for people with obsessive compulsive disorder, traumatic brain injuries and Alzheimer's disease.
10 comments:
That's interesting, I had heard about the concept of brain pacemakers before but not anything about what they could actually do. I'm sure this would be a great help to people with depression or certain disorders. Modern technological advances like this are pretty awesome.
Joseph,
I suspect this technology will be expanded beyond depression and across many different kinds of disorders and perhaps even to enhance learning!
Sorry I didn't see a place to leave comments for this but I watched the Stanford Experiment and found it pretty shocking. I had heard about it before hand but found more information this time. I had forgotten they had to stop it after only six days from the intensity. It would be so interesting it witness an experiment like it. Lets do one with our class! Ha just kiddin.
Erika,
I will try and show some of the video from that experiment to the class. It is pretty amazing. It raising some serious ethical issues as well! The experimenter become very famous from that one study!
Could they maybe of done this to Donald to flicker back on the memories of that murder?
I also watched the Standford experiment with Erika and it was pretty questionable to me, it seemed like the head guy was pushing the boundaries of the ethics and trying to make those people react in some way by either driving them nuts or proving that you can fall into any roll as long as the situation is real enough. Scary stuff. Also a big risk signing up for something like that.
Adam,
I agree totally. Zimbardo push the limits in that study and negatively affected those participants for a lifetime.
We will get to know Zimbardo pretty well. He narrates the video series we watch!
Cheers
Caro! I'm liking the Film School album you burned. Thanks a bunch.
Seriously, do you want some music? It's your 5 to my 2.
I read Erkel's (okay, Errrrika) post about the Stanford Prison Experiment- we studied that in Carlisle's psych last year. Very interesting and disturbing.
Narintohn!
My pleasure! I have some more to burn away for you. I am glad you like Film School. I will burn their first album for you.
I would take anything you recommend!
Cheers
I wonder how the scientists even come up with these ideas. Who ever thought that a pacemaker in your brain could help depression? This is definitely and example of the technological advances our world is seeing. What'll happen next?
Kristin,
When we get more into the nature of the brain, this will make a lot of sense! And, I think you will be surprised that they didn't think of this sooner!
Cheers!
Post a Comment