Wariness on Surgery of the Mind

A very balanced and thoughtful article written by Benedict Carey in the NYTimes on a paper which appeared in the February issue of Health Affairs. This paper makes some ethical arguments regarding the use of the Humanitarian Device Exemption for DBS in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Radical Prosthetic Implants

This is the start of an interesting online discussion by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies with some interesting links.

Maybe now is the time for more large-scale discussion of such questions to begin. With medical technology progressing so rapidly, and—looming over the horizon—with nanomedicine, which could make all other implant therapies look like child’s play, we really need to get people thinking about the new world that shortly awaits us.

Contribute here.

With industry backing, University of Memphis researcher seeks to improve new brain therapy

This article reports on research of Dr. Charles Blaha sponsored by Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc.  An interesting statement on DBS from the article:

But it's not a miracle cure. Blaha, a professor of psychology, is aware of the drawbacks: Like any brain surgery, deep brain stimulation can cause injury, and complications are not uncommon. A millimeter's difference in the placement of the electrode within the brain can determine if it's effective. And scientists still don't understand exactly why it works.

read the article here.