Researchers control monkey decisions with ultrasound bursts

A new study suggests that high-frequency sound waves aimed at specific brain regions may affect monkey behavior. The findings complicate our notion of free will, but this study could yield new insights into the brain and new treatments Obstacles like PoisoningOption.

New arrival the study Ultrasonic pulses, presented today at Science Advance, suggest that it can be used to partially control rhesus monkey decision-making. Specifically, ultrasound treatment has been shown to influence their decisions Look at the target displayed on the screen to the left or right. Despite prior training that prioritizes one target over another.

A new study co-authored by University of Utah neuroscientist Jan Kubanek highlights the potential use of this non-invasive technique for specific treatments Human disability, Like addiction, No surgery or medication required. The procedure is also quite simple.

Scientists have previously shown that ultrasound can stimulate neurons in the mouse brain. Deep in the brain. By modulating mouse neural activity, researchers can induce various muscle movements throughout the body. That said, other studies were not definitive about this And whether it is expensiveFrequency sound waves can cause neuromodulatory effects in larger animals.

New research suggests that it is possible in at least one pair of macaques.

In their experiments, researchers applied methods commonly used by scientists to study human choice behavior, such as the effects of brain damage caused by stroke. Two monkeys with their heads fixed and sitting in a dark room were taught to look at the target in the center of the screen. After a while, a second target appeared on the screen to the right or left of the first target, then a third target on the opposite side. Monkeys usually chose to look at their targets in order of appearance, but they were trained to resist this natural tendency with food rewards.

In the phase, researchers used ultrasound transducers to stimulate the monkey’s frontal eye field (FEF), a brain region responsible for visual attention and spontaneous eye movements. AhAccording to the paper, all procedures used in the experiment “conform to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and have been approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Stanford University.”

When researchers stimulate the left FEF, the monkey more often selects the right target, And vice versa. This effect was superior to chance, as monkeys were twice as likely to be affected by the ultrasound burst and select targets. Despite their previous training. Importantly, ultrasound treatment produced no effect when directed at the motor cortex (the part of the brain responsible for movement). This suggests that scientists did not just cause physical reflexes And they were actually influencing the choice of perception.

“Short pulses of low-intensity ultrasound strongly, selectively, and reversibly affected subject’s selective behavior,” the authors write.

Wim Vanduffel, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor at the School of Medicine at Harvard University, described the study as a significant advance in the field.

“The non-invasive nature of this method and the fact that it can target deep brain structures It opens tremendous potential for animal-human causality studies and, in some cases, for treating future patients. ”Vandufel, unrelated to the new study, Said Gizmodo of mail. “As with any other development, it takes a considerable amount of research effort and time before a patient can be helped by this exciting, rapidly developing research tool.

In addition, the effects observed in the study were “perfectly consistent with the known properties of the specific brain regions targeted,” Banduffel added, adding that the results are comparable to invasive experiments. Method.

All this sounds magical, a little jarring, but the high-pitched sound waves inaudible to the human ear are actually causing physical changes in the brain. Specifically, these pulses oscillate the neural membrane, which kick-starts nearby neurons, thereby affecting their associated behavior, in this case the monkey’s impulse-controlled neurons. Look at either the left target or the right target.

Scientists can use this technique to “modify the activity of neurons and the connectivity between stimulated neurons and their neighbors, which could restore a malfunctioning neural circuit to its normal state. Kubanek explained in a press release.

Indeed, the ability to regulate neural activity of specific brain circuits may be useful In a number of ways. It can help Identify areas of the brain associated with a particular disease or condition, or Measuring the effects of neuromodulation on the brain and how it affects it Our actions. It also opens up the possibility of nonInvasive, non-drug Treatment of addiction such as alcohol and bulimia, or treatment of obsessive-compulsive behavior.

“Brain disorders should be treated in a targeted and individualized way, rather than providing patients with a cocktail of drugs,” Kubanek said. “But to do that, we need tools that provide non-invasive, accurate, and personalized treatment to address the cause of each individual problem. Until now, this was just a dream. . “

THe’s all great, You need to raise the brakes a little.

These results are very preliminary The effect was only observed in 2 monkeys. Scientists need to reproduce these results In particular, the scope of the study will be expanded to see if other parts of the brain are prepared for ultrasonic neuromodulation. THe is longThe effectiveness of these treatments is unclear. During the study, the researchers noticed during the experiment that “repetitive stimulation reduced the neuromodulatory effect,” as they explained in the study.

According to Van Duffer, neuroscientists need to learn a lot about the mechanisms of particular neurons, and these processes need to be more fully understood before we see this technology used. There is Human.. He said unintentional damage to the targeted brain region is possible.

“It would also be interesting to know how much tissue is affected, for example by measuring local functional effects of stimuli at the same time as behavioral effects,” he added.

LYou still have to do a lot of work, Nonetheless exciting results. Of course, I feel that this research weakens the sense of free will. Science is still Undecided Regarding the issue, there is evidence to suggest that certain aspects of human decision making are pre-determined, while other aspects are not.

My advice is that you shouldn’t worry as the answer has little to do with your daily life. In fact, we all live an overwhelming life impression Whether it’s an illusion or not, we have free will.