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Stanford scientists have administered electric jolts to mice in response to a pattern of brain activity in the nucleus accumbens that occurs just before "impulsive behavior" (in this study, overeating). This reportedly disrupts the impulse and the impulsive behavior, but not normal behavior. The lead author of the study says the research could lead to a brain implant that could "predict and prevent a suicide attempt, a heroin injection, a burst of binge eating or alcohol intake, or a sudden bout of uncontrolled rage":
Just imagine if you could predict and prevent a burst of binge eating or alcohol intake, a heroin injection, a sudden bout of uncontrolled rage or a suicide attempt. The world would be a better place.
Long journeys start with first steps. In a study [open, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1712214114] [DX] published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Stanford researchers led by neurosurgeon Casey Halpern, MD, have identified, both in mice and in a human subject, a signature pattern of electrical activity in a small but important deep-brain region called the nucleus accumbens just a second or two before a burst of impulsive behavior.
The nucleus accumbens is the hub of the brain's reward circuitry, which evolution has engineered to reinforce survival-promoting actions by inducing pleasure in anticipation or performance of those actions. The researchers showed in mice that supplying a small electrical jolt to the nucleus accumbens as soon as the electrical signature manifested there stopped the mice from overindulging in fatty food — without messing up the rest of their natural activities.
"Impulses are normal and absolutely necessary for survival," Halpern said when I interviewed him for our news release on the new study. "They convert our feelings about what's rewarding into concrete action to obtain food, sex, sleep and defenses against rivals or predators."
Which dystopian novel do you want to compare it to?
Also at NPR.
(Score: 1, Troll) by DannyB on Tuesday December 19 2017, @04:24PM (5 children)
I wouldn't defend pedophiles.
They need treatment. Not defense.
This treatment seems perfect. An impulse of electricity to prevent impulsive behavior. I would suggest a dosage of 11 KV at 600 A.
And not just for pedophiles. But also for cereal killers.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 19 2017, @04:35PM (1 child)
You seem to be confusing pedophiles with child molesters. A pedophile is simply someone who has a sexual attraction to prepubescent children, while a child molester has actually molested children and isn't even necessarily a pedophile since it could have just been an opportunistic rape. Having a sexual attraction to a particular group of people does not mean you also want to rape members of that group, which is a notion that would be completely uncontroversial in every other situation. As such, the idea that all--or even most--pedophiles need treatment is flawed.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday December 19 2017, @04:36PM
You are correct. I should be more precise as you point out.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 19 2017, @04:53PM
It's defending the others who'll later be targeted by the same tactics, only superficially is it defence of paedophiles.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Tuesday December 19 2017, @05:58PM
Oh may God...I just killed a bowl of oatmeal this very morning!! I didn't mean to be a cereal killer.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday December 19 2017, @08:00PM
Only a matter of time till such out-groups are expanded to the point where you'll care. Authoritarians are notorious for continually expanding the reach of their power. Something that can "fix" pedophiles now, can fix dissidents later.
That bowl of cereal was coming right for me. I had to use my spoon!