
Electroceuticals - extarial
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/electroceuticals/
======
ChuckMcM
The holy grail though is endorphin/serotonin/dopamine emission through nerve
stimulation. That is a device that gets you "high" by just pushing signals
into your brain that you should be high. Back in 2008/2009 when a flurry of
papers came out about using deep brain stimulation on treatment resistant
depression I estimated we were about 10 years away from a purely electronic
opioid equivalent.

Clearly I was a bit optimistic, but I still think it is just a matter of time.
That will change the world dramatically when it lands and pretty much suck
most of the oxygen out of conventional criminal and corrupt enterprises.

~~~
GW150914
People have been predicting that for longer than either of us have been alive,
and we’re not really any closer to the reality thst doesn’t involve brain
surgery.

~~~
ChuckMcM
As I mentioned in my post the DBS experiments suggested to me that we are
closer than we were when Silverberg and others posited "wireheads" in their
fiction.

The ability to manipulate several phase coherent RF waveforms creates the
ability to fairly precisely create energy lobes inside the soft tissue. Time
will tell of course.

~~~
GW150914
It would be interesting if you were right. Have you read any of Larry Niven’s
work? In his Known Space novels, especially later Ringworld books the idea of
“wireheads” is extensively considered. The outlook adopted seems to be what
you’re implying, that is to say it would supplant all drugs and most addictive
vices. It would also be al ost invariably fatal due to self-neglect,
reproduction rates of the affected population would be low, and after some
generations most seriously addictive personalities would be essentially
eliminated. Whoever was left wild naturally become wireheads, so would have
some baseline of addicts, but it would be a fraction of pre-wireheads days.

Interesting idea, with a bit of a bumpy ride on the way.

~~~
ChuckMcM
I have read much of Niven's work. I also got to hear him and Jerry Pournelle
discuss some of their 'evolution in action' theories at a science fiction
conference in LA. It was more entertaining than rigorous given the venue but
both of them had given the concepts a lot of thought. Of course as my
grandfather would say some times, "The law of the jungle is always more
appealing to those who aren't subject to it."

I recognize that the impacts will be felt widely when this technology becomes
available, but I also recognize I can't predict the impact on things outside
of my own experience.

------
HillaryBriss
Does this sort of therapy have any connection, similarity, or other
relationship to acupuncture?

