Like all matter, human bodies and brains are subject to Theseus’s paradox, in which every component and plank of the ship of Greek myth is thought of as being the same ship even though every component and plank is gradually replaced. The sense of self might be cultural rather than biological, the constant expression of a primitive survival drive that actually shifts endlessly, but gives us the illusion of permanence for the sake of psychological cohesion — not quite as unchanging and far more fallible than it feels.
“Actually our internal narrative is changing constantly,” Boyden says, “a lot of data shows the self is a reflection of the environment. But we shouldn’t confuse ‘changing’ with ‘fallible’ — in the face of a changing environment that demands we adapt, they might be opposites.”
Giordano calls it a form of “cognitive closure” to “clump” the qualities that define the sense of “me-ness” or sense of self that we all have. “But should my brain be altered in some way via trauma or some kind of intervention that affects the pattern of the neural nodes and networks that are operative in my integrated sense of identity, then that sense of self might — and likely would — be disrupted, if not changed in some way,” he says.
Doing It Yourself
But imagine the potential — and the potential double-edged sword. If we could use TMS, TES, or some other futuristic method to directly affect the inner workings of our cognition, and affect memory and experience with enough finesse, we might be able to deploy a brain scanner and “edit out” an undesirable artifact, maybe curing PTSD or depression. Or we might have a tool that can be switched on near an unsuspecting victim, generate uncontrolled rage directed at a third party, and conveniently remove any moral resistance to violence or murder?
Consumer devices are already on the market, promising to make buyers think faster and sharpen attention. Electrical stimulation increased math performance in experiments conducted at Oxford University, after all. But scientists warn that using such devices yourself, in such uncontrolled circumstances, might bring about “unintended results.”
There’s an active forum on Reddit devoted to home TMS and TES devices, and some users have already complained about burning to the scalp. One unfortunate who must feel like he’s trapped in a short story by Ray Bradbury or Isaac Asimov reported that he “seemed to be getting angry frequently” after using one.
While hooking yourself up to a machine to get better study results, and instead flying into a homicidal rage isn’t likely any time soon, it highlights one of the obvious limitations of any TMS technology. While certain brain regions are associated with certain functions, our knowledge of them is far from cut and dried.
Using a tool to soak a broad area of the brain in magnetism or electricity to target the patterns generated by individual neurons and neural maps seems like using a wrecking ball to tap a thumbtack into a cork board. How can we experience anything but the most general — probably vague — results?
“Could it be done more precisely and with greater finesse? Yes,” says Giordano. He adds, “Does the wrecking ball get the job done? Yes. Are there collateral and often nonspecific effects? Often. Can you modify and/or mitigate these by directing the wrecking ball and metering its trajectory, location, speed, and force? Sure can.” He says cognitive abilities and behaviors like memory and intentional states involve both convergent and divergent network activity that engage a fair amount of neurological real estate. “But that’s the core challenge — and opportunity — of noninvasive brain stimulation, to increase the specificity and precision of effect.”
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with the burgeoning (and unregulated) field of consumer TMS and TES kits if the above thesis is correct. Might it be possible to deploy one incorrectly and end up falling completely out of love with your spouse, or hating your job for no reason, other than that swathes of synaptic connections were destructively reconfigured?
Continuing development of the technology in labs might lead to startling new research — and ramifications for theories about personal identity. Boyden can imagine a world where it’s possible to “upload” specific thoughts or feelings into the brain from an external source by manipulating brain activity, and says that at the rate the technology is improving we might see it within the next 50 years.
But he cautions that oversight will be crucial. “All experiments with brain stimulation on humans, and frankly any human subject experiments, must be approved by a panel who judges the ethics of the work. It’s important to take an ethical stand and make sure neurotechnology makes us who we want — as a society and a civilization — to be.”
One thing’s for sure. As our understanding of the way the brain works deepens, such technology will shine even more light onto many cognitive abilities and phenomena, including our seemingly immutable sense of self.
This article was first published in Brain World Magazine’s Winter 2018 issue.
