Мияның өзгеруі және жаңару жолдары

Modification of the brain
Neurohacking is a subclass of biohacking, focused specifically on the brain. Neurohackers seek to better themselves or others by “hacking the brain” to improve reflexes, learn faster, or treat psychological disorders. The modern neurohacking movement has been around since the 1980s. However, herbal supplements have been used to increase brain function for hundreds of years. After a brief period marked by a lack of research in the area, neurohacking started regaining interest in the early 2000s. Currently, most neurohacking is performed via do it yourself (DIY) methods by in home users. More complex medical devices can be implanted to treat psychological disorders and illnesses.

There are three methods by which electrical currents are transmitted through the brain: deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

DBS involves implanting an electrical device, or neurostimulator, into the brain. The neurostimulator is a thin wire with electrodes at its tip. Low levels of electric current are transmitted through the brain. The location where the electrodes are implanted depends on the neurological disorder being treated. The company Neuralink hopes that their DBS device will include “as many as 3072 electrodes distributed along 96 threads”, and that the procedure to implant the threads would be as non invasive as LASIK eye surgery.

TMS sends short bursts of magnetic energy to the left frontal cortex through a small electromagnetic coil. Some studies have found that TMS improves cognition and motor performance. Other studies have investigated the relation between TMS and its ability to recover lost memories.

Brain cells, or neurons, emit chemical signals across the gaps, or synapses, between neurons. Exposure therapy retrains the mind of the patient to reduce the fear associated with feeling a certain way or experiencing certain triggering stimuli. By confronting situations in a safe and controlled virtual reality environment, the patient is able to reduce the anxiety associated with those circumstances. The FDA has approved DBS devices for the treatment of both Parkinson's disease and dystonia. DBS has also been used to treat Tourette syndrome, epilepsy and depression, although more research is needed in these areas before it can be deemed safe.

Enhancing the human experience is another application of neurohacking. Methods include simple brain training games, chemical enhancers, and electrical brain stimulation. Caffeine is an effective method for enhancing human performance in everyday life. Caffeine is the most popular drug in the world (humans drink a collective 1.6 billion cups per day) and is also the most popular method by which people are neurohacking. Caffeine improves memory, sociability, and alertness.

The third primary application of neurohacking is information retrieval from the brain. This typically involves the use of a brain machine interface (BMI) – an apparatus to measure electrical signals in the brain. In 2016, researchers modeled an individual’s interest in digital content by monitoring their EEG (electroencephalogram). The researchers asked the user to read Wikipedia articles. From data in the EEG, they could predict which article the user would want to read next based on the individual’s expressed interest in each topic. The researchers claim this paradigm can be used to “recommend information without any explicit user interaction”. In July 2019, Neuralink – a company developing implantable brain machine interfaces – presented their research on their high bandwidth BMI. Neuralink claims to have developed an implantable BMI device that is capable of recording and delivering full bandwidth data from the brain. The company hopes to use this technology to create a high speed connection between the brain and digital technology, bypassing the need to type search queries or read the results.

The neurohacking trend has been heavily commercialized, with companies such as Lumosity and CogniFit marketing games that allegedly optimize the performances of the brain as well as alleviate the symptoms of senescence related cognitive decline and other neurodegenerative disorders. Several studies have called into question the effectiveness of these softwares. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed claims against some companies producing brain training software for misleading marketing. Claims against Lumosity for misleading advertisement are over $2 million. Despite this uncertainty, the public demand for such products is rising. Sales in 2015 reached $67 million in the United States and Canada.

No governing organizations responsible for overseeing athletics and education have policies regulating neurohacking. Athletes and students can use neurohacking to gain an unfair advantage in sporting events and academic settings. Studies have indicated that neurohacking can improve memory, creativity, learning speed, muscle gain, and athletic performance. However, there are no well developed tests or instruments capable of detecting neurohacking. Students and athletes may utilize neurohacking techniques and never be detected. Using these unapproved devices with no medical supervision could cause devastating side effects. With the rise of DIY neurohacking, many individuals self treat without proper supervision by a medical professional. Insurance companies deny medical insurance compensation for users who are injured using unapproved medical grade neurohacking devices. Most neurohacking devices are uncertified and unregulated.