Could a "High Functioning Psychopath" Be Elected US President?

Psychopaths usually don’t want to commit themselves to a long course of study. They want to get results quick. So we could wonder – would they be attracted to politics? You can be a career politician without much preparation. And you can promise your consituents what they want to hear. And once in power, you have power over where large quantities of money goes – and some of that power can direct money to you. _Snakes in Suits

Psychopaths do not have to be serial killers. In fact, most of them have probably never killed anyone, and live lives that to an outside observer may seem rather normal. And some psychopaths function well enough to reach high levels of management in government, the private sector, and in other organisations such as labour unions and quasi-criminal groups -- some of which may not be particularly violent.

Psychopaths seem to have in abundance the very traits most desired by normal persons. The untroubled self-confidence of the psychopath seems almost like an impossible dream and is generally what "normal" people seek to acquire when they attend assertiveness training classes.

...Cleckley (Mask of Sanity PDF download) ... gives grounds for the view that psychopathy is quite common in the community at large. He has collected some cases of psychopaths who generally function normally in the community as businessmen, doctors, and even psychiatrists. Some researchers see criminal psychopathy - often referred to as anti-social personality disorder - as an extreme of a "normal" personality dimension (or dimensions). _Psychopath

It is possible to identify psychopaths, using a number of different tests and probes.

Hare and his colleagues continued this research to learn more about the brain's involvement in psychopathic behaviors. They used whole brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to see if there were neurological manifestations of the way psychopaths process different types of words. When non-psychopaths processed negative emotional words (e.g., rape, death, cancer), activity in the limbic regions of the brain increased. For psychopaths there was little or no increased activity in these regions. Curiously, however, there was increased activity in other areas. In short, the emotional word does not have the same limbic implication for psychopaths that it does for normal people. _Studies in Psychopathy

It is often difficult to see past the mask of sanity which many psychopaths have learned to wear. Here are some things to look for to determine if someone is a psychopath:

...Psychopathy is characterized by such traits as

• lack of remorse or empathy
• shallow emotions
• manipulativeness
• lying
• egocentricity
• glibness
• low frustration tolerance
• episodic relationships
• parasitic lifestyle
• persistent violation of social norms

_Studies in Psychopathy

From the outside, a psychopath may not display all -- or even most -- of these traits. But the more you learn about such persons, the more of the traits they tend to reveal over time.

The high incidence of sociopathy in human society has a profound effect on the rest of us who must live on this planet, too, even those of us who have not been clinically traumatized. The individuals who constitute this 4 percent drain our relationships, our bank accounts, our accomplishments, our self-esteem, our very peace on earth. _The Psychopath

It would be bad enough to be working for someone like this. Imagine having them as your chief of police, or even president. Imagine being married to a psychopath, but being afraid to tell anyone.

If he really feels anything at all, they are emotions of only the shallowest kind. He does bizarre and self-destructive things because consequences that would fill the ordinary man with shame, self-loathing, and embarrassment simply do not affect the psychopath at all. What to others would be a disaster is to him merely a fleeting inconvenience.

...they can imitate feelings, but the only real feelings they seem to have - the thing that drives them and causes them to act out different dramas for effect - is a sort of "predatorial hunger" for what they want. That is to say, they "feel" need/want as love, and not having their needs/wants met is described as "not being loved" by them. What is more, this "need/want" perspective posits that only the "hunger" of the psychopath is valid, and anything and everything "out there," outside of the psychopath, is not real except insofar as it has the capability of being assimilated to the psychopath as a sort of "food." "Can it be used or can it provide something?" is the only issue about which the psychopath seems to be concerned. All else - all activity - is subsumed to this drive.

In short, the psychopath - and the narcissist to a lesser extent - is a predator. If we think about the interactions of predators with their prey in the animal kingdom, we can come to some idea of what is behind the "mask of sanity" of the psychopath. Just as an animal predator will adopt all kinds of stealthy functions in order to stalk their prey, cut them out of the herd, get close to them and reduce their resistance, so does the psychopath construct all kinds of elaborate camoflage composed of words and appearances - lies and manipulations - in order to "assimilate" their prey. _The Psychopath

A psychopath who wanted to be president of a country might without hesitation break many of the rules that ordinarily govern a campaign or an election. His own predatory need for power would provide him all the excuse he needed to violate any laws or customs standing in his way.

And if such a person had the support of the country's news media sure to give him a good public face, and the less public support of a solid and unscrupulous political machine willing to work behind the scenes to do whatever it takes -- he has a good chance of winning the prize.

It should be emphasized that psychopaths are interesting as all get out - even exciting! They exude a captivating energy that keeps their listeners on the edge of their seats...

...psychopaths DO have .... an ability to give their undivided attention to something that interests them intensely. Some clinicians have compared this to the concentration with which a predator stalks his prey. _The Psychopath

Much more information is available in the free PDF download of Hervey Cleckley's seminal work on psychopathy, The Mask of Sanity.

In many ways, a high functioning psychopath would be "made to order" as president for today's news media -- like an actor who is perfect for a role, from a particular point of view.

And as long as powerful interests felt as if they could get what they wanted from such a psychopathic president -- without being hurt themselves -- they might be prone to support such a person, regardless of the costs to others.

Is Mental Illness Preventable?

Of the 10 leading causes of disability in the world in 1990, five were mental disorders; specifically unipolar depression, alcohol use, manic depression, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Murray and Lopez, 1996). It is clear that both the extent of mental health problems and the enormous associated personal, social and financial cost can not be addressed by treatment services alone. _Robinson et Pennebaker

Schizophrenia.com
Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating and disabling of the mental illnesses. So if we could find a way to prevent schizophrenia -- even a substantial proportion of the disease -- we would be making impressive progress toward the goal of preventing mental illness.

Recent research findings from Duke and Johns Hopkins suggest that a proportion of schizophrenia with genetic causes could be prevented by early detection of susceptible persons in early childhood, with appropriate intervention before symptoms manifest themselves in late adolescence or early adulthood. Scientists have known for decades that brain structure in schizophrenia was not normal -- and even pointed toward an early developmental "lesion" as the cause of the structural abnormalities.

The critical network of signals which control early brain development is becoming better understood -- both in terms of general development and in terms of specific brain diseases when the signaling network goes awry. Here is more about the recent Duke et Johns Hopkins research:

Katsanis, who directs the Duke Center for Human Disease Modeling, and Akira Sawa, M.D., Ph.D., a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, were introduced to each other by a clinical colleague who thought that Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) proteins that are involved in transport duties within cells might have a role in schizophrenia. Katsanis is an expert in using BBS genetic mutations and proteins to learn more about other diseases. BBS is a complex genetic disease with autism-like symptoms, cognitive defects and depression. Sawa is an expert on DISC1, the protein named Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1, known to be a major susceptibility factor for schizophrenia and related disorders.

Together, they discovered that these proteins are involved in a key switch for neurons that is necessary for brain development. When DISC1 gains a phosphate group at a specific site, it recruits BBS1. When BBS1 is missing in this system, the team could observe defective neuron migration, while a model with no DISC1 at all leads to defects in both cell proliferation and migration.

...Katsanis predicts that, for perhaps 10 percent of psychiatric illness, the illness is primarily driven by defects in this switch system. "So we now have ways to interpret variation in humans, in a context that is relevant to their particular cases, to their physiology -- that is where medicine will move next," Katsanis said.

...The study was published by Nature journal on April 6 in its advance online publication. _SD

The researchers were looking at brain signaling which controls early brain development -- the multiplying of brain neurons and subsequent placement in proper locations, orientiation, and connectivity to other parts of the brain. But there is another "brain growth spurt" which occurs just before adolescence, which could be just as critical to the subsequent development of schizophrenia and other types of mental illness which first manifest in adolescence or early adulthood. This neuronal growth spurt is no doubt also under the control of brain signaling proteins.

Prevention comes into the picture when scientists learn to correct abnormal signaling in early stages of development, or to compensate for abnormal brain development, later in childhood. Some genetic abnormalities can be treated now, and the opportunities to treat more genetic problems are growing rapidly.

That means that besides mental illness, many disadvantages which are widespread in the third world and in disadvantaged ethnic groups -- and which are at least partially genetically mediated (such as low intelligence and poor executive function) -- should be amenable to treatment in the not so distant future.

It is the denial of such genetically mediated disadvantages and disabilities which dooms sufferers to lifetimes of misery and underachievement. Such HBD deniers likewise doom entire societies and regions to generations of misery, poverty, widespread disease, and hopelessness.

Fascinating Look Into the War on Mental Depression Fascinating Look Into the War on Mental Depression

Northwestern University researcher Eva Redei recently presented her research on the underlying causes of depression at the Neuroscience 2009 in Chicago. The sophistication of the research is impressive, and suggests the promise of hugely important advances in the study of human cognition and mental illness in the relatively near future.

Redei used microarray technology to isolate and identify the specific genes related to depression in these animals. She examined the genes in the brain regions -- the hippocampus and amygdala -- commonly associated with depression in rats and humans.

Then she took four genetically different strains of rats and exposed them to chronic stress for two weeks. Afterwards, she identified the genes that had consistently increased or decreased in response to the stress in all four strains in the same brain regions.

Redei now had one set of depression-related genes that came out of an animal model of depression and one set of stress-related genes that came our of her chronic stress study.

Next she compared the two sets of genes to see if there were any similarities. "If the 'stress causes depression theory' was correct, there should have been a significant overlap between these two sets of genes," she said. "There weren't."

Out of a total of over 30,000 genes on the microarray, she discovered approximately 254 genes related to stress and 1275 genes related to depression, with an overlap of only five genes between the two.

"This overlap is insignificant, a very small percentage," Redei said. "This finding is clear evidence that at least in an animal model, chronic stress does not cause the same molecular changes as depression does." _SD

Redei claims to have shown that modern methods of treating depression are misconceived -- since they are aimed more at stress than at the real cause of depression. She also claims to have demonstrated that depression is caused by something significantly more profound than an imbalance of neurotransmitters. Redei believes that her findings point to potentially more powerful and effective treatments for depression.

I have not read the full study, so I cannot comment on Redei's claims. But I do admit to being impressed by the powerful genetic and bioinformatic methods used to tease out the differences between the genetics of stress and the genetics of depression. These tools can be used to solve many genetic problems that have been the source of heated philosophical arguments for centuries. But powerful and exotic tools do not guarantee valid results. Logical and philosophical rigour must be combined with a creative and adventurous spirit.

Redei suggests that the "real" problem of depression originates in the developmental stages of neurons, and may have to be solved at the same level. There is some evidence that some neurotransmitters can trigger neurogenesis via stem cell migration and differentiation. Better therapies for selective neurogenesis may well find their way into psychiatric treatment for depression. It is likely that deep brain stimulation, for example, and other electromagnetic stimulation techniques, will be found to stimulate neurogenesis at least indirectly.

For the animal depression model, Redei was apparently using a strain of rats that has been bred for decades to mimic physical and physiological human symptoms and signs of depression. The rats are said to be "the most depressed rats in the world." If so, they should be helpful in screening new therapies for depression.

It is not surprising that some therapies will work for depression and others will not.

Problems with White Matter Central to Schizophrenia and Normal Low IQ

A recent study from King's College London in British Journal of Psychiatry, helps clarify the "timing" problem of mental function in schizophrenics.

The white matter of the brain consists of nerve fibres that connect parts of the brain and help regulate behaviour. The normal brain develops in a back to front fashion, i.e. posterior regions mature first and the frontal lobes last. The research discovered that if there are very severe deficits in the white matter in these posterior (specifically parietal) regions, then schizophrenia develops early in adolescence. As people grow older their deficits "migrate" in a back to front manner and in adulthood, they impact the frontal lobes of the brain quite dramatically.

...The team used Diffusion Tensor Imaging, a state-of-the-art neuro-imaging technique, to examine white matter connections in adolescents and adults with schizophrenia. Abnormalities in white matter appeared first in posterior parts of the brain in the younger patients and became more prominent in the frontal lobes in adult patients. In interpreting the results, Dr. Kyriakopoulos, the lead author, explained that the scans capture the interaction between brain development and disease mechanisms. _SD

Recent research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry appears to connect a NOS1 variant gene to both lower IQ and schizophrenia. In addition, diffusion tensor imaging studies are proving capable of detecting both schizophrenia and lower intelligence in humans.

It is easy to understand how defects in normal development could lead to persons with mental illnesses and / or lower intelligence than normal. What is not so easy to imagine is that what we think of as normal intelligence may actually be the result of defects in more optimal developmental pathways.

Only an acceleration of research into the biological underpinnings of intelligence can answer these questions. Inside the US and Canada, studies that look at the variability of intelligence among populations has to take place under the guise of specific disease research. Such need for pretense (to hide from the PC Thought Police) slows progress significantly. Perhaps researchers in Europe, Oceania, South Asia and East Asia may not be so hamstrung by reactionary cabals of academics, politicians, and media players as in North America.

Fascinating Recent History of NOS1 Variant

In January of 2009, Neuroskeptic blog was reporting on a study in Archives of General Psychiatry that painted NOS1 Ex1f variant as "an impulsivity gene." Apparently the January 2009 study included brain imaging, which suggested that normal prefrontal inhibition of activity was somehow impaired in persons with the NOS1 variant studied. Pairing the January 2009 AGP study with the more recent October 2009 AGP study suggests a tangible link between impulsivity and cognition -- via the NOS1 gene.

NOS1 codes for the enzyme nitric oxide synthase 1, which is expressed in neurones and makes nitric oxide (Nitrogen monoxide, NO). NO is a small molecule with various roles in animals, most famously the ability to induce erections - Viagra works by enhancing this effect. NO is also known to act as a neurotransmitter, with widespread but poorly understood functions in the brain. It's therefore plausible that altered nitric oxide synthase function could affect behaviour, and several animal studies suggest that indeed it does.

...In two separate control samples of normal German adults (most of whom) were screened to exclude psychiatric disorders (n=640 and 1314), 21 and 20% carried two copies of the short allele (SS). I've helpfully highlighted that in green above. Then, in samples of German people who displayed various forms of impulsive behaviour, the SS genotype was more common: in 383 adults with ADHD (28% SS), 189 adults who had attempted suicide (25% SS), and adults with "Cluster B" personality disorders 26% SS, but not those with "Cluster C" disorders representing anxious traits. Also, in a sample of 182 criminals referred to a forensic psychiatry unit, those who had been assessed as "violent" were more likely to carry the SS genotype than those not (p=0.04). In a nutshell, SS is bad. _Neuroskeptic

A lot of researchers are likely to make their careers on this one gene variant. NOS1 may prove to be a very important gene for both cognition and behaviour. It is unlikely to be the most important gene involved in thinking, feeling, and acting, but it seems to be important enough.

In the 12 years since this polymorphism has attracted more attention than any other in the field of behavioural genetics with several hundred papers at last count. So if that's anything to go by, we'll be hearing a lot more about NOS1. Stay tuned. Neuroskeptic

China: Land of the Insane?

Mental illness has now overtaken heart disease and cancer as the biggest burden on the Chinese health system, according to the World Health Organisation, affecting seven per cent of the population. Telegraph_via_Impactlab

China's national mental health center director suggests that over 100 million mentally ill persons call China their home. Most of these likely suffer from anxiety, depression, phobias, and panic disorder. But China has a sizable population of schizophrenics, and other psychotics. And China is not prepared to deal with the problem.

In a nation of world-class pollution, homelessness, unemployment, and the massive internal displacement of hundreds of millions of people, it should not be a surprise that China's mental health environment is less than optimal. Unfortunately, there is no indication that China's government will ever be up to the task -- so the problem is likely to only grow worse with time.

There are only 4,000 qualified psychiatrists and a further 15,000 doctors working in psychiatric hospitals to serve China's vast population. "There are no psychiatry, psychology or psychotherapy students in medical school. You need to qualify as a doctor first, and then subscribe to a course in mental treatment," she said.

As a result, she said the true number of mentally ill could be far higher. "My own estimate is that one-third of the students I was at university with now have some form of mental illness," she said. _Telegraph

Despite its facade of socioeconomic robustness, China faces many severe internal instabilities. Much of China's society and industry is economically and infrastructurally unsound. And while much of the world now looks to China as a rock of stability in an increasingly untrustworthy Obamaworld, it would be a good idea to look very closely before committing to what could be a Potemkin facade.

In a population as immense as China's, the amount of naturally occurring human misery will be large. Add to that the human misery caused by pollution of land, water and air, and the human misery caused by massive population displacements and social engineering on a huge scale -- and it may be a wonder that any sanity exists within China at all.

Partial Genetic Basis of Depression and Schizophrenia?

It is not enough to link a gene with a disease, statistically. One must also demonstrate how alterations in the gene can affect disease symptoms.

Steven Clapcote, David Porteous, John Roder, and colleagues reported their findings in the May 3, 2007 issue of the journal Neuron, published by Cell Press.

In their experiments, the researchers sought to explore the consequences of mutating a gene called "Disrupted in schizophrenia 1" (DISC1), which had been found in one family to be associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

The researchers' theory was that different mutant variations of DISC1 might have different pathological effects. To test this theory, the researchers screened a large population of mouse mutants to isolate two with different mutations in DISC1.

They found that, indeed, one of the mutant mouse strains exhibited behavioral abnormalities and memory deficiencies resembling the symptoms of schizophrenia in humans. Additionally, these symptoms could be alleviated in the mice by antipsychotic drugs.

Similarly, the other mutant mouse strain showed behaviors that reflected depressive symptoms. These symptoms could be alleviated by an antidepressant, found the researchers.

Source

The DISC-1 gene has been studied by schizophrenia researchers for years. Many other genes have likewise been looked at due to associations with schizophrenia.

The task of explaining the developmental and physiological effects of the altered gene products in humans, and why these changes lead to schizophrenic symptoms, remains to be done.

It goes without saying that pharmacologic agents are often developed and marketed for a disease, long before a complete understanding of that disease is arrived at. Humans are impatient creatures, and "solve" many problems without understanding them. If you were bold, you might even call humans irrational.

A Whole Night's Sleep in Only An Hour--And Much More

Normal brain function creates electromagnetic fields, in various waveforms--depending upon the type and location of the brain activity. For a several decades, scientists have known that feeding electric currents and magnetic fields to the brain affected brain function--sometimes dramatically.

Rising star neuro-researcher Giulio Tononi has recently discovered how to use magnetic fields to stimulate slow wave brain activity typical of deep sleep.

During slow wave activity, which occupies about 80 percent of sleeping hours, waves of electrical activity wash across the brain, roughly once a second, 1,000 times a night. In a new paper being published in the scientific journal PNAS, Tononi and colleagues, including Marcello Massimini, also of the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, described the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to initiate slow waves in sleeping volunteers. The researchers recorded brain electrical activity with an electroencephalograph (EEG).

A TMS instrument sends a harmless magnetic signal through the scalp and skull and into the brain, where it activates electrical impulses. In response to each burst of magnetism, the subjects' brains immediately produced slow waves typical of deep sleep, Tononi says. "With a single pulse, we were able to induce a wave that looks identical to the waves the brain makes normally during sleep."

The researchers have learned to locate the TMS device above a specific part of the brain, where it causes slow waves that travel throughout the brain. "We don't know why, but this is a very good place to evoke big waves that clearly travel through every part of the brain," Tononi says.

Source

Some clinicians hope to be able to use similar devices to create "power naps", perhaps generating the restfulness typical of a full night's sleep from only a one hour nap.

Melbourne scientists are using similar magnetic pulses to the brain to palliate symptoms of depression.

The researchers tested their combination technique on a group of 60 hard-to-treat patients, giving half of them 10 minutes of weak pulses before their standard 15-minute session on a daily basis for four weeks.

An electrical current was passed through a coil above the skull, creating a magnetic pulse which fires into the brain, changing the activity of nerve cells.

"A lot of people in this trial achieved clinical remission, and this is what matters," Prof Fitzgerald said.

"They were able to resume their normal lives, and often return to work."

Magnetic stimulation therapy has been around for about a decade and is used widely in Canada, but it is still regarded as experimental in Australia.

Source

Deep brain electrical stimulation is also being used to treat depression as well as memory loss from brain degeneration including Alzheimer's, and perhaps eventually to create a type of seeing, for the blind, among other conditions.

Researchers in Canada have been studying effects of magnetic stimulation of the temporal lobe of the brain, using something they call a "God Helmet", because it sometimes triggers transcendent visions and epiphanies.

Because electromagnetic therapies do not use long acting pharmaceuticals, that often cause unwanted side effects, they may be useful for treating a wide array of "lifestyle" problems, such as insomnia, borderline depressions and anhedonia, conditions of sexual dysfunction, mild phobias, and many more behavioural problems.

Reaching Into The Brain With Electromagnetic Fingers

I have been excited about the potential for electromagnetic treatments of the brain for almost two decades. Both electrical stimulation (CES) and magnetic stimulation (TMS) hold promise for treating depression and migraines--while TMS may eventually also treat Alzheimer's and help in stroke rehab. Neurofeedback is a third electronics-dependent modality of treatment that appears extremely promising.
Here is some recent news about an improved TMS system from Brainsway Ltd.:

Standard TMS coils are limited to activation of only cortical brain regions, up to a depth of about 1.5 cm. Hence when treating depression with a standard TMS system, the limbic system, which is related to mood regulation and is generally deeper than 1.5 cm, is only indirectly affected, through secondary processes involving cortical structures, which are directly activated by TMS and then affect the deeper limbic system structures.

The unique technology of Brainsway Deep TMS System enables direct non-invasive activation of deep brain structures.

Deep TMS is a breakthrough in the search for a non-invasive approach for treating common brain disorders.

Source.

Here is some information about CES from GNIF Brain Blogger:

Researchers don’t fully understand mechanisms involved, but theorize that CES electrical current helps reestablish optimal brain chemistry and improves efficiency of neural connections. [10] One example of research supporting this theory involves electrical engineering simulations conducted by researchers at the University of Texas, Austin. Their brain mapping techniques suggested that minute amounts of current traveled to the brain’s thalamus, enough to enable release of neurotransmitters. [11] Other research conducted by North Dakota State University utilized EEG techniques to quantify changes during administration of CES versus sham treatment. The research showed frequency distribution shifts suggestive of beneficial changes. [12]

Based on current and ongoing research, neuroscientist Dr. James Giordano postulates that CES microcurrent travels to the base of the brain (the brainstem), activating clusters of nerve cells which make the brain chemicals serotonin and acetylcholine. Serotonin is linked to relaxation [13] while acetylcholine is linked to body processes not under conscious control while at rest. [14] Released by nerve cells at the synapse, these neurotransmitters influence pathways within the brain and spinal cord that inhibit arousal and agitation. The resulting “fine tuning” helps the nervous system to restore homeostatic balance and possibly creates brain patterns known as alpha rhythms. Measurable via brain wave recordings (called EEG); scientists often associate alpha states with enhanced mental focus and relaxation. Neurological processes linked to alpha states seem to reduce stress, stabilize mood, and exert control over certain types of pain.

Source.

When I was in medical school, I was very impressed by neuropharmacology. Although I necessarily use neuropharmacology routinely on patients, I am always looking for effective non-pharmacological treatments. Perhaps I am hoping to find a profitable use for my electrical engineering training? Probably not. I simply don't like the potential drug side effects.

Brain Implants for Parkinson's, Epilepsy, Depression: We Are All Cyborgs Now

In a recent New York Times article, patients and doctors discuss the new neuro-implant technology called neuromodulation. Used as treatment for disorders from Parkinson's disease, depression, and epilepsy, to chronic pain disorders and tremors. But that is just the beginning. In this industry, the sky is the limit. Read on:

Don Falk stretched his right arm over his head, past the faint marks where a surgeon sank two wires deep in his brain, to show how uncontrollable tremors in his hand used to slap him awake in the morning.

It was just one of many difficulties he suffered as his Parkinson's disease advanced. Falk had trouble shaving and walking, and his medications caused his head to twitch awkwardly, making him self-conscious in church.

''It's the day-to-day living that is so hard with Parkinson's,'' he said.

In May, Falk, 52, started to get better with the help of an emerging class of implantable medical devices called neuromodulators -- tiny machines that stimulate the central nervous system to treat a host of disorders. Analysts say they could be the next big thing for some of the market's hottest medical technology companies.

....Neuromodulators are technological cousins of implantable heart defibrillators, a $5.5 billion market that's growing at nearly 20 percent a year.

The devices do have some hurdles. While they've been shown to be safe and effective at treating some disorders, they're generally recommended only after drugs and other less invasive treatments fail.

The surgical procedure can be complex, and the devices themselves are expensive, about $50,000 for the deep brain stimulator, less for other devices in the class. And that doesn't include the costs of surgery.

The results are impressive, but ''it's not a big moneymaker,'' said Dr. Richard Veyna, Falk's neurosurgeon at Methodist Hospital in this Minneapolis suburb. Not enough doctors know about the technology, and at current insurance reimbursement rates simpler procedures are more profitable, Veyna said.

Perhaps surprisingly, the risks of brain surgery rarely dissuade patients, maybe because they are tired of living with Parkinson's symptoms and have seen other treatments fail, he said.

Falk said he didn't hesitate about brain surgery. ''My tremor was so bad I just wanted it done,'' he said. His adult children didn't think twice either: ''They did not like me just sitting there, shaking and stuff.''

Falk touts his procedure to other Parkinson's patients, telling them that his medication has been cut by two-thirds and his insurance covered the procedure.

Competition, higher volume and technological advances drove down the costs of implantable cardiac devices, and could do the same for the neuromodulators. Only a small number of people who might benefit from the devices -- people who suffer from Parkinson's, tremors, epilepsy, chronic depression or chronic pain -- are now getting them, Wald said.

''Neurostimulation to me, in fact the whole neurological space, is what cardiology was 10 years ago,'' Wald said. ''The opportunity is just vast.''

....Dr. Todd Sitzman, an anesthesiologist in Hattiesburg, Miss., has used them in hundreds of patients with chronic pain over the last decade.

''Does it work from the patient's perspective? Without question,'' said Sitzman, who sits on the National Pain Foundation's board of directors. ''It is a therapy that gives them some relief and some semblance of a life.''

Companies are already pushing to develop new applications for the devices. They see potential uses in treating diseases including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, erectile dysfunction, traumatic brain injuries, obesity, angina, incontinence and ringing in the ears.

Read the entire article here.

Hat tips to Singularity News (Multipolarity News) and The Speculist.

Personally, it seems to me that these companies are thinking too small. If implants can help the blind to see, there is no reason they cannot do much more than the planned uses listed in the NYT article. I prefer correcting damage and defects biologically, but there will definitely be a period of time when the hardware will be able to accomplish things the wetware is not capable of. Think of it as the need to use crutches, temporarily. Eventually, you put them aside and walk on your own.