In Washington D.C, a ship builder had severe depression. He’d tried everything, but nothing seemed to help. He was too sick and depressed to leave his home. The doctors implanted a pace-maker-like device in his brain to stimulate a certain part of his brain thought to be important with mood. And that day, he laughed! It stimulates the nerve that runs from the back of the neck into one of the most mysterious regions of the brain. It appears so promising in relieving depression that the government decided to test it out in 15 different hospitals. The treatment, called “vagus stimulation” involves sending electric shocks into the Vagus nerve in the neck. Where it relays messages deep into the brain. Half the people they tested it on got a good response. The doctor’s think stimulating this nerve can also extend your memory and treat obesity by curbing your appetite.
This is funny to me actually. It reminds me of those electro-shock collars for animals. You go too far to the edge of the yard, or in this case, your mood, you get zapped. I don’t know why, but this reminds me of mind control devices in cheesy movies from the 50’s. I picture some mad scientist with a remote control, and a guy in a chair with a salad bowl on his head and cords going every which way, and the scientist asks the man a question. “where is the microfilm? We have ways of making you talk!” and the guy of course, being the genius that he is, says “I will never tell!” and the scientist pushes the button, and the guy’s brains get fried into the texture of guacamole. That’s just the impression I got when I 1st read it. But after some more thought, I decided that it is probably a good idea. If it works, that’s great. But they’re not putting one of those in MY brain. I’d be dead from the voltage they’d have to use! But like I said, even though it sounds like a torture device from the middle ages, I suppose it should be tested out. Why not? I mean for a while blood letting was used as a sort of medical thing. Why not zapping people’s brains? Sounds logical to me! And also extremely weird. Next thing you know they’ll be strapping dead bodies to tables, replacing their brains with the brain of “Abby-something, Abby..normal?” and subjecting them to large amounts of voltage while shouting “it’s alive! It’s alive!” but if and when that happens, I’ll be one of the crazed villagers with the torches storming the castle!