Nov

Botox for the brain ?

Well, with my little faith in doctors and psychopharmacological substance (the stuffs from the big pharma$$$ ) the botox for the brain thing to make me smarter is definetively not for me.
A new paper discuss the ethics of healthy people seeking to improve their cognition and mental performance with pharmaceutical products or even ‘medical operations’ to help their brains perform better.

“- Brain stimulation and neurotechnology – involving techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (which has been referred to as “botox for the brain“) where magnetic pulses are used to stimulate particular areas of the brain or deep brain stimulation (which has been referred to as ‘brain-lifts’) – an invasive procedure involving the insertion of electrodes into the brain that transmit tiny electrical currents. There is at the moment no evidence that these procedures can improve cognition in healthy people, but the possibility cannot be entirely ruled out. It should be remembered that people are willing to endure major surgery to enhance their visual appearance, so they may be willing to do so to improve their cognitive ability as well, if the techniques prove to be effective.

The paper discusses the balance of benefits and harms related to cognitive enhancements. There may be individual benefits, in that a person might feel better in themselves and also positional benefits, for example, the modern-day UK is highly competitive with children judged from a young age on the basis of success in tests and exams and so individuals with a competitive edge may do better than others.”

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http://www.libertariangirl.com Libertarian Girl

The dumb name given to TMS, “Botox for the Brain,” really has nothing to do with what TMS is actually about. TMS is non-invasive and uses magnets to send electrical signals to stimulate the brain. It’s being studied right now as a possible treatment for major depression (which can’t be cured by any other means), which is caused by electrical signals in the brain misfiring. It also has potential uses for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, drug addiction, and a host of other illnesses.

I recommend you to see what they’re doing over at the Elata Foundation (http://www.elata.org), a nonprofit which is working to fund more research into TMS treatment.
Jasper

Hehe, looks like you offended the marketing apartement of TMS
http://www.libertariangirl.com Libertarian Girl

Hmm, since TMS isn’t “on sale” anywhere and since I linked to a nonprofit organization dealing with TMS, I hardly think “marketing” had anything to do with it. Studies show that it is effective and is worth more than simply being labeled some form of “Botox,” which is a purely cosmetic procedure done for looks and jollies.

I’ve talked to someone who says that TMS has saved her life and she would have killed herself from postpartum depression if she didn’t have it; now that I think about it, I guess that actually is pretty good marketing for whether TMS is useful or not.

I notice that the site owner is a supporter of Ron Paul. Ron Paul would help with many of these problems, because the reason TMS hasn’t been available to more who need it (like it is in Canada) is because it has to go through a looong FDA approval process. Ron Paul would get rid of some of that red tape and get these treatments to those who need them, saving lives in the process.