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Juliana Bell
CIS0835, Section 07
Professor Pascucci, Professor Biehl
16 October 2015
“Pros” of Neurotechnology
Neurotechnology, as defined by the book Neurotechnology for Biomimetic Robots
(edited by Joseph Ayers, Joel L. Davis, and Alan Rudolph) is the process of engineering
devices that confer the performance advantages of animal systems on a new class of
biomimetic machines. In simpler terms, neurotechnology refers to technology which
functions similarly to the human mind. Neurotechnology also includes technology used
for brain-imaging and other medical processes relating to the brain and body (Lynch). As
this technology develops, it is being used more and more frequently in both the medical
and business fields and, in most cases, “neurotechnology and brain-based devices
actually improve functions of the human body.”
Neurotechnology is solving medical problems that have previously remained
unsolved or been difficult to solve. One of the things that neuro-technicians and
scientists have been able to do with neurotechnology is replicate the CNS (central
nervous system), which is home to CPG’s (central pattern generators) that enable us to
walk, chew, and perform other rhythmic tasks that we do on a daily basis
(“Neurotechnology” 4). Before being able to replicate the central nervous system and the
CPG’s within it, when people had problems with their central nervous systems, doctors
would have to rely on the body to correct the issues, which did not always happen or
sometimes happened incorrectly. Due to the body “relying heavily on the plasticity of
synapses to adapt the circuits to meet particular needs and also to store information
(learn),” a failure of this natural process of plasticity could result in a failure of the entire
central nervous system, which could in turn result in a failure of the entire body, and
ultimately death (“Neurotechnology” 4). However, due to the development of
neurotechnology, doctors can now use replications of the central nervous system to better
ensure success in operations on and treatment of these types of issues.
One of the ways that neurotechnology is helping to solve medical problems that
were once difficult to solve, rather than unsolvable, according to The Coevolution of
Human Potential and Converging Technologies, is “the development of nanobiochips
and brain-imaging technologies that will make biological and neurological analysis
accurate and inexpensive.” Developing technology that is both useful for brain-imaging
and inexpensive is vital because it “will transform neurological analysis in a very similar
fashion as the microprocessor did for data,” even if the technology can only perform the
most basic bio-analytic functions (Lynch). Essentially, what Lynch is referring to is that
once the microprocessor was invented and functioning, the world of data and storing data
was changed forever and for the better because more data was now able to be stored on
smaller devices, giving way to increased data capabilities on computers, cell phones, etc.,
and making data and data storage more inexpensive. In a similar way, the continuous
development of neurotechnologies, such as brain-imaging technology, is making the use
of such technologies cheaper. Once a particular product starts being made and there is an
increased demand of that product, more companies begin to make similar products. As
the quantity of that product increases due to many companies now manufacturing it and
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the demand remains the same, the price of the product decreases (Parkin). There is great
importance to lower-priced technology such as this – for example, low prices allow for
lower-income regions and hospitals to have access to technology that can and will save
the lives of patients. In addition, second- and third-world countries will likely soon be
able to have access to these technologies, not only benefitting their people by helping to
solve medical problems that were previously impossible to solve without technology that
was too expensive (now replaceable by these less expensive technologies), but also by
bringing the country into a more up-to-date state medically and technologically. In these
ways, it is clear that neurotechnology is solving medical problems that have previously
remained unsolved or been difficult to solve.
Neurotechnology is allowing people who have suffered brain damage to once
again lead normal lives. According to a study published by Wake Forest School of
Medicine in North Carolina and Brain State Technologies, LLC in Arizona, a technology
called HIRREM (high-resolution, relational, resonance-based, electroencephalic
mirroring) is soon going to be added to the regimen of care for people who have suffered
traumatic brain injuries (Tegeler). An example of traumatic brain injury, or TBI for short,
given by this article is post-traumatic stress disorder, better known as PTSD, which has
been linked with an over-activation of the right temporal lobe (Tegeler). HIRREM relays
information using audible tones obtained from real-time changes in the brain’s electrical
activity (Tegeler). Upon the completion of this experiment, the subjects generally
reported a reduction in insomnia, depression, and symptoms of PTSD (Tegeler). Without
the use of this neurotechnology, these patients would likely not have experienced these
reduced symptoms and been able to once again lead lives as they did before they suffered
TBI. According to Gray Scott’s article from The Futurist entitled “The Neurotechnology
Revolution Has Arrived”, there are many new types of neurotechnology on the market
since President Obama announced the $100 million BRAIN (Brain Research Through
Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) initiative back in 2013. These new
technologies include brain-computer interface (BCI) devices that allow one to control
computers, robots, etc. with the power of thought by using electrodes embedded into
headgear that can read electoral brain activity from the scalp (Scott). “These advances
could potentially unlock children from the grip of autism or allow advanced Alzheimer's
patients to regain the ability to communicate. Extraordinary innovations like the
Mindwalker exoskeleton will allow people who have been paralyzed to interface and
convert EEG signals directly from their brains into the robotic exoskeleton, and thus to
walk again” (Scott). Without such technologies, those who have been able to
communicate though they suffer from Alzheimer’s and those who have been able to walk
again after being paralyzed would absolutely not have been able to meet those
achievements. The use of these neurotechnologies not only aids in the recovery of
patients that have suffered brain damage (whether from TBI or a form of brain tissue
destruction brought on by old age), but they also are actually improving the functions of
the human mind and body by allowing these people to heal and be able to lead lives as
they once did before suffering from the brain damage. Based on information gathered
from these two articles which explain predictions and show results of the benefits to the
human mind and body through use of neurotechologies, once can conclude that
neurotechnology is allowing people who have suffered brain damage to once again lead
normal lives.
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The use of neurotechnology in business allows marketers to let functions of
the human body explain consumer behaviors. This new type of technology is referred
to as neuromarketing. The process of neuromarketing involves using “brain scanning
technology to better understand how and why people react to different market
campaigns” (Lynch). According to Lynch’s book, neuromarketing is expected to add a
significant amount of growth to the multi-trillion-dollar industry that is marketing and
advertising. According to the chapter “Neuromarketing: The New Science of Consumer
Behavior” from the book Consumer Culture in Global Perspective by Christophe Morin,
the term “neuromarketing” emerged in 2002, and it “promotes the value of looking at
consumer behavior from a brain perspective” (Morin 132). Some examples of these
neuromarketing technologies, according to Morin, include the use of fMRIs and EEGs to
measure brain activity. Neurotechnology used in a business/marketing manner is
improving the functions of the brain and human body because, while the brain and human
body are not necessarily functioning differently than they have before, marketers are able
to use those functions to get a better understanding of consumer behaviors; “For decades,
marketing research methods have aimed to explain and predict the effectiveness of
advertising campaigns. For the most part, however, conventional techniques have failed
miserably. Since emotions are strong mediators of how consumers process messages,
understanding and modeling cognitive responses to selling messages has always been a
methodological challenge…In this challenging context, the emergence of neuro-imaging
techniques has offered exciting methodological alternatives. Such techniques finally
allow marketers to probe the consumers’ brains in order to gain valuable insights on the
subconscious processes explaining why a message eventually succeeds or fails” (Morin
133). What this quote explains is key in understanding the importance of
neurotechnology to the business world – it has always been difficult for marketers to
predict the success or failure of advertising and marketing campaigns, resulting in failed
campaigns that cost billions of dollar per year that the company does not get back.
However, with the use of normal brain and body functions being observed using
neurotechnology, marketers are able to literally see into the brains of consumers and
understand how certain campaigns will go over. Thus, marketers are able to save money
in the long run, and get an increased understanding of the human mind and body, which
further enables them to run successful advertising and marketing campaigns. In addition,
not many new technologies have actually been invented for use in neuromarketing, so the
equipment required is not difficult to obtain nor is it very expensive. With the use of
these neurotechnologies in business, marketers are able to get a better understanding of
consumer behavior using the functions of the human mind and body.
In conclusion, it is proven that neurotechnology and brain-based devices improve
functions of the human body because neurotechnology is solving medical problems that
have previously remained unsolved or been difficult to solve, neurotechnology is
allowing people that have suffered brain damage to once again lead normal lives, and
because the use of neurotechnology in business allows marketers to let functions of the
human body explain consumer behaviors. Through these examples, one can clearly see
the improvements made to people’s lives on a daily basis, and thus the thesis is proven.
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Works Cited
Lynch, Zack. "Neurotechnology and Society (2010-2060)." The Coevolution of Human
Potential and Converging Technologies. Vol. 1013. New York: New York Academy of
Sciences, 2004. 229-33. Print. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Morin, Christophe. "Neuromarketing: The New Science of Consumer Behavior."
Consumer Culture in Global Perspective. 2nd ed. Vol. 48. N.p.: Springer-Verlag, 2011.
131-35. Print.
"Neurotechnology." Neurotechnology for Biomimetic Robots. Ed. Joseph Ayers, Joel L.
Davis, and Alan Rudolph. London: MIT, n.d. 1-10. Print.
*online article last updated since 2010, according to Google Scholar (exact
date unavailable)
Parkin, Michael. "Demand and Supply." Microeconomics (Revised Custom Edition for
Temple University). 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2014. 57-66. Print.
Scott, Gray. "The Neurotechnology Revolution has Arrived." The Futurist 47.5 (2013):
6-7. ProQuest. 09 Oct. 2015 .
Tegeler, Charles, Catherine Tegeler, Jared Cook, Sung Lee, Meghan Franco, Lee Gerdes,
and Hossam Shaltout. "Use of HIRREM, a Noninvasive Neurotechnology, Is Associated
with Symptom Reduction and Increased Heart Rate Variability among Individuals with
Traumatic Brain Injury." Ibia.conference-services.net. N.p., 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.