A photo from open sources
Imagine: in the near future, ten percent of veterans fighting can begin to go around with implants, implanted into his head. And the purpose of this is not to subordinate them reason, and the treatment of conditions such as post-traumatic syndrome and substance abuse. Sound crazy? But DARPA agency is working on just such a project.
The Pentagon recently announced that it is launching a 70 millionth project on creating a deep stimulation brain chip (DBS) that will help military deal with their most common psychological problems. This SUBNETS system project is also aims to gain a better understanding of how these psychological conditions manifest themselves in the brain, and how neuropsychiatry can with them fight. The program is part of the recently announced White House BRAIN initiative, from which DARPA receives 50 million dollars.
Deep brain stimulation, of course, is by no means new. On the today about 100 thousand people around the world have DBS implants to combat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. This technology has also been tested as potential treatment for patients with spinal injuries brain and other complex conditions like chronic pain and clinical depression. Existing Devices Today use a battery-powered neurostimulator sending weak electrical impulses to certain parts of the brain. They are enough effective, but as the doctors themselves note, they are not completely understand how these devices work, and cannot accumulate data on their effectiveness.
Now it’s hard to say which solution to this problem will find DARPA. However, the rich history of its development suggests that they often far-reaching projects, and often seeks them success.
