Consultation on Brain Technologies from Medicine to Warfare

From technologies which allow the brain to directly control computers to using electricity to enhance brain function, the way technology can “intervene” in the brain is being reviewed.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has launched a public consultation on the ethics of the technology.

Applications range from medicine to warfare and even human enhancement. Some techniques such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) are already used by thousands of patients.

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Prof Thomas Baldwin, from the University of York, is leading the study. He said there had a long history of altering the brain from trepanning – drilling holes in the skull – thousands of years of ago to surgical lobotomies.

He said: “It became apparent there were a number of side effects which were seriously harmful. People have become much more cautious about intervening in the brain.”

The consultation wants to get the public’s view on newer developments.

Common

One of the most widely used techniques is DBS for Parkinson’s patients. Electrodes are inserted into specific regions of the brain and are hooked up to a battery in the chest. Bursts of electricity help control the tremors associated with the condition.

DBS is also being considered for a range of other conditions from depression to Tourette’s syndrome.

Dr Alena Buyx, the assistant director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, warned that while there were medical benefits, the therapy had “quite significant side effects” and could result in changes to speech and even personality, which raised ethical questions. She even cited a case of patient caught stealing who used the defence of “my brain electrode made me do it”.

It has also been suggested that a different type of brain stimulation, achieved by wearing a special cap, can improve people’s ability to do maths.

Dr Buyx said this had triggered debates about human enhancement and whether the technology should ever be used in schools.

Brain to computer

The consultation will also ask for views about “brain computer interfaces” in which brain signals are measured and converted into instructions such as a thought-controlled wheelchair.

There is also research into using the technology to help patients with locked-in syndrome communicate with their brainwaves.

The same techniques have been used to control primitive computer games. However, it is thought that eventually they could be used by the military. In the same way that drone aircraft are controlled remotely, the idea would be that a soldier’s brain could control machines engaged in warfare thousands of miles away.

Prof Baldwin said: “Intervening in the brain has always raised both hopes and fears in equal measure. Hopes of curing terrible diseases, and fears about the consequences of trying to enhance human capability beyond what is normally possible.  These challenge us to think carefully about fundamental questions to do with the brain: what makes us human, what makes us an individual, and how and why do we think and behave in the way we do.”

The public consultation will take place until 23 April 2012 and the council’s recommendations will be made next year.

Source: BBC News UK

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Mentally Ill People are Four Times More Likely to be a Victim of Violence

Mentally ill people are four times more likely to be a victim of violence, according to an international study.

One in four has been attacked in the past year, suggests the Lancet journal.  Researchers looked at 26 studies from developed countries, including five from the UK.

Mental Health charities said, despite public fears, people with mental illness were much more likely to be a victim than a perpetrator.

Many researchers have looked into the issue of disability and violence, but the Lancet study combines their results aiming to provide a more reliable answer.

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Vulnerable

The research team, from John Moores University in Liverpool and the World Health Organization in Geneva, found that in general, people with any sort of disability were at greater risk of violence, with 3% experiencing violence in the previous 12 months.

However, those with learning difficulties were more vulnerable, with more than 6% reporting violence against them, and adults with mental illnesses were even more so.

The study found that more than 24% said they had been the victim of some form of violence in the preceding year.

The underlying reasons are complex, but people with mental illnesses can be more likely to struggle with personal relationships, and have a greater likelihood of substance abuse, homelessness, being imprisoned or living in poverty, each of which raises the risk of being the victim of violence.

Prof Mark Bellis, who led the study, said the results suggested a wider problem.

He said: “Lifetime exposure to violence, and the proportions of individuals with disability who are directly threatened with violence or otherwise live in fear of becoming a victim, are likely to be substantially higher than our estimate.”

Simon Lawton Smith, from the Mental Health Foundation, said the results were unsurprising.

“The research sadly adds new evidence to what we already know – that people with a mental illness and people with a learning disability are at a high risk of being the victim of violence. Evidence shows that people with serious mental illness are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than the perpetrator. Although research suggests that there are factors that may increase risks of violence – such as co-occurring substance use, or not being engaged in treatment – people living with mental illness are 10 times more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators.”

Paul Farmer, chief executive of the charity Mind, said the charity’s own research suggested people with mental health problems often did not feel safe in their local area.

“People reported every kind of harassment from being stalked, verbal harassment in the street, having their homes vandalised and physical and sexual assault. Stigma and discrimination against people with mental health problems is still rife, and sadly this can go as far as individuals being victimised in their communities or even targeted in their own homes.”

Source: BBC News UK

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Nicotine May aid Memory for in Early Dementia

Nicotine patches may improve the memory of elderly people experiencing the earliest symptoms of dementia, researchers suspect. The patches appear to give a cognitive boost to people with mild memory impairment.

The findings, published in the journal Neurology, come from a small study of 67 people over a period of six months.

Experts say the results are not conclusive, merely hinting of a benefit and do not mean people should smoke. The health risks of smoking massively outweigh any potential nicotine benefits. And nicotine is known to be addictive.

Longer and larger studies are now needed to fully assess nicotine’s effect on memory and whether it might point the way to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, they say.

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Early promise

There are some 820,000 people in the UK living with dementia. Although some drugs are already available that can lessen some of the symptoms of the disease, there is no cure for this progressive disorder.

Memory and cognition are some of the first functions that begin to fail in a person with dementia. They may find it difficult to recall recent events or facts or become increasingly confused, even when in familiar surroundings, for example.

Scientists have known for some time that the brain contains receptors that respond to nicotine and that a number of these are lost in Alzheimer’s.

The latest work found that six months of treatment with nicotine patches appeared to improve how well individuals with “pre-dementia” or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) performed on tests designed to assess memory, attention and response times.

After six months of treatment, the nicotine-treated group regained 46% of normal performance for age on long-term memory, whereas the placebo group worsened by 26% over the same time period. However, the findings were not statistically significant – a measure investigators need results to meet in order to rule out any chance findings.

The scientists say more studies are now needed to confirm their preliminary findings.

Lead author Dr Paul Newhouse, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, said: “This study provides strong justification for further research into the use of nicotine for people with early signs of memory loss. We do not know whether benefits persist over long periods of time and provide meaningful improvement.”

Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging science at University College London, said the study gave some exciting evidence that mild memory problems might be treatable before they develop into full blown dementia.

But he added: “Nicotine is just one of the existing or experimental drugs that could prove beneficial for this patient group. It should encourage more investment into research into possible treatments.  It is quite likely that no treatment will help everyone – and so new diagnostic tests to match patients to treatments may be also needed to tackle dementia.”

Source: BBC News UK

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