A chip in the brain to control bodily movement?

[undergroundpanther]

The Neurochip records the activity of motor cortex cells," Fetz explained in a statement released by the university yesterday. "It can convert this activity into a stimulus that can be sent back to the brain, spinal cord, or muscle, and thereby set up an artificial connection that operates continuously during normal behavior. This recurrent brain-computer interface creates an artificial motor pathway that the brain may learn to use to compensate for impaired pathways."

The device produced changes that lasted more than a week in the primates: Movements evoked from the recording site changed to resemble those evoked from the stimulation site, the scientists said. The changes were likely due to strengthening of pathways within the cortex from the recording to the stimulation site, they said.

http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/061025_neurochip.html
The road to hell is paved with good intentions...
Dr. Jose Delgado anyone?
http://www.wireheading.com/jose-delgado.html

A brain chip injected to control movement,
That will stop protests and riots, at the press of a button..
Get back to work Bzzzt.

[havocmom]

1. I won't even take a flu shot

Chip in the brain... nah.

[Mythsaje]

2. I think people who are suffering from the sort of brain and spinal cord

damage that this chip was ostensibly designed to repair will be all too happy to have some level of motor control returned to them.

[Hekate]

3. VERY hopeful news for brain and spinal cord injuries, neurological diseases...

This could lead to incredible advances in curing or at least mitigating some devastating conditions.

Those who are concerned about the potential for abuse need to remember that any good thing can be abused in the wrong hands. As with today's false dichotomy between safety and freedom, we will become no safer by putting the entire country into virtual prison....

Hekate