A team of South Korean scientists has unveiled a "long-range" device for remote mind control, with plans to use the technology in non-surgical medical procedures.
Scientists at the Korea Institute of Basic Science (IBS) developed the device using magnetic fields, and called their invention Nano-MIND, meaning “Magnetic Nanointerface for Neurodynamics.”
Dr. Cheon Jin-woo, director of the IBS Center for Nanomedicine in South Korea, said he expects the developed technology to be used in a variety of healthcare applications, explaining that this technology is the first in the world that freely controls specific areas of the brain using magnetic fields.
He added: “We expect it to be widely used in research to understand brain functions, advanced artificial neural networks and two-way brain-computer interface technologies, as well as new treatments for neurological disorders.”
“The concept of using magnetic fields to manipulate biological systems is now well established,” wrote Dr. Felix Leroy, a senior scientist at Spain’s Institute of Neuroscience, in an editorial accompanying the new study published in Nature Nanotechnology.
He pointed out that "it is applied in various fields, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation, and magnetic hyperthermia for cancer treatment."
But the IBS team added genetic modification technology to specialized nanomaterials, whose role inside neurons in the brain can be controlled (remotely) via carefully selected magnetic fields. They call this technology “magnetomechanical genetics” (MMG).
In the new study, the scientists tested the technique on genetically modified lab mice that had developed more magnetically sensitive "ion channels" that act as gates in their neurons, allowing certain molecules and atoms to enter at certain times and rates.
In a test of "maternal instincts," the innovative technology encouraged some female lab mice to locate their missing pups faster (an average of 16 seconds faster).
The technique has also been shown to encourage other mice to overeat or undereat.
But Dr. Leroy cautioned against rushing into human trials too soon. “Further studies are needed to evaluate potential cumulative effects, including neuroadaptation or neurotoxicity,” he advised.
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