Surgeons use brain implants to treat drug addiction in humans

In order to treat drug addiction in patients, surgeons have now started using brain implants that involve implanting a pacemaker-like device in a brain to send electrical impulses.

In a first, surgeons in China have used deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat a patient suffering from methamphetamine addiction, by implanting a device into his brain.

The technology has been used for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. It involves drilling two small holes into a patient’s skull and feeding electrodes deep into their brain. A device that acts as a type of pacemaker for the brain in implanted and used to electrically stimulate targeted areas, explained ABC News.

New wireless ‘pacemaker for brain’ to treat epilepsy, Parkinson’s diseases

The device, according to the patient, showed positive effects and worked really well. The surgeon used a tablet computer to remotely adjust the machine thrumming inside the patient’s head, making the patient feel agitated or cheerful with a tweak of settings.

“This machine is pretty magical. He adjusts it to make you happy and you’re happy, to make you nervous and you’re nervous,” he told the Associated Press. “It controls your happiness, anger, grief and joy.”

The idea of using DBS to treat drug addiction has, however, raised concerns in medical communities around the world. Experts fear that this technique comes with inherent risks of a brain hemorrhage, infections, seizures, or personality changes.

However, scientists agree that more research is required in order to excel in this field. “It would be fantastic if there were something where we could flip a switch, but it’s probably fanciful at this stage,” Adrian Carter, head of neuroscience at Monash University told AP.