The field of neural prosthetics is typically associated with devices that enable patients to overcome a deficit in normal function after injury. However, Dr. Eric Leuthardt wants to challenge you to rethink how humans interact with machines. What if managing an injury is just the beginning? What if we could use neural interfaces to enhance human function? Think of the possibilities! Yet each possibility comes with its own set of ethical questions to ponder as science and humanity head towards uncharted waters.
If miracles are the floor, what is the ceiling?
Nearly 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression. And while medication is an option, it’s not always an effective option for everyone. Performing routine tasks or even getting out of bed in the morning can be a struggle for those with a chronic diagnosis. So you can imagine how something like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) would seem like a miracle. TMS is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to improve symptoms of depression. It’s a short outpatient procedure that has shown to provide lasting results in some patients. But what would happen if that area of the brain was stimulated in someone who had normal function?
Dr. Leuthardt believes that attention and memory could be enhanced with something like TMS or even an implant. As soon as he said this, Leuthardt began to discuss the ethical implications of such advancements with an almost Dr. Ian Malcolm-like intensity. If only the rest of the scientists at Jurassic Park shared his sense of caution. What do you think, reader? Should there be a limit to what we use technology for to enhance the human experience?
The natural progression of progress
But what about progress? Anyone riding The Carousel of Progress at Disney World in 1995 would have been flabbergasted to find out that every technology featured in the show would exist not even ten years later. Yet things like Alexa and FaceTime are essential to the lives of so many people in our modern world. Certainly, neural implants and video calls are entirely different categories, but they both beg the question: Is this progress or is this the beginning of a Michael Crichton novel? What do the next ten years hold?
Dr. Leuthardt thinks it’s very likely we will have neural implants for mood disorders within the next ten years. In fact, he founded a company that is working on this technology right now. Who’s to say we won’t have implants that enhance the functionality of the human brain in the next twenty years? I’m not sure, but Leuthardt wants to call your attention to the natural progression between restoration and augmentation. Plastic surgery was invented as a largely restorative approach that evolved into a cosmetic one in order to help people actualize their ideal selves. If we can augment our bodies, can we augment our brains? Should we? I’ll leave that for you and history to decide.