Grace ChuaSinging the Brain Electric Brain pacemakers, scientists have found, can treat depression by correcting neural circuitry gone haywire. This thesis examines how such technology – a technique known as deep-brain stimulation, in which electrodes are implanted within the brain – was developed and how it works. We are introduced to a patient who received deep-brain stimulation for her refractory depression, and consider the risks, ethical issues, and questions of humanity and identity the technology raises.
How deep-brain stimulation, in which electrodes are implanted within the brain, was developed and how it works.
