Brain stimulation

The brain of 34-year-old Amber Pearson contains a one-of-a-kind implant. The Oregon resident is the first person to have a deep brain stimulation device that manages both her epileptic seizures and her obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms. Her subsequent improvement has inspired scientists to conduct larger studies of the technology.Alex Winter on Innovative Horror Movies Pearson’s story was first detailed in a case report published last October in the journal Neuron, along with an accompanying article from Oregon…

Researchers at Stanford University say they’ve made the sort of discovery that you’d expect to see in a piece of science fiction. In a controlled and randomized trial published this week, they found evidence that people can be made more susceptible to hypnosis with just two short sessions of non-invasive brain stimulation. The findings suggest that brain stimulation could make hypnosis a more effective treatment for various health conditions like chronic pain, though more extensive research will be needed to know for…