Neurohacking I: Improve yourself! Are cyborgs evolution?

This week, Brainwoosh explores the technological possibilities in neurohacking. External devices, electrodes, brain chips, aka brain-cyborgism ... and it is already here.

Neurohacking is essentially about "hacking" the brain to unlock its full potential, enhancing focus, memory, creativity, and even mood. 

Neurohackers use tools ranging from meditation and smart drugs to advanced brain stimulation devices.

The hardcore, technological neurohackers focus on using devices that directly manipulate brain activity and enhance brain function. And that's what we will focus on this week. But first, a bit of background and thoughts about neurohacking.

From repair to amplification
Neural enhancement. Traditionally, it refers to restoring abilities lost due to injury or disease, such as using prosthetics to replace limbs lost in accidents. Or the implant of deep brain electrodes to alleviate symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

These technologies help individuals regain lost functions and improve their quality of life.  The application of neuroprosthetics is well-accepted because it returns a sense of normality to people's lives. But as technology progresses, the focus shifts from simple restoration.

Enhancement is no longer just about recovery; it also holds the potential to amplify abilities that are already within the natural range of human function. An improvement of normal, healthy people moving toward having superhuman abilities.

The idea of going beyond normal human limits and enhancing humans through technological means may push us into new territory, creating a new subspecies.

This speculative future would involve humans integrating technology directly into their biological functions, ultimately becoming a new species altogether, homo sapiens cyborgensis, a new human race augmented by technology.

Sounds a bit like evolution, right?

Merging technology and biology - is that reasonable?
Using technology to enhance brain function or physical performance is crossing into an area of performance that exceeds the natural range.

Here, the question becomes: What happens when technology is used to enhance an already functional ability or part? Should it be accepted at all? And if it becomes accepted, the principal consideration will not be the possible range of human ability, but rather what is considered acceptable within that range.

As we decide to push the limits of human capability, we should also question where to draw the line between natural human function and what could be considered an enhancement. 

The idea of neuroprosthetics evolving from a tool for restoration to one for enhancement raises questions about what is considered "acceptable" human function. For example, while prosthetics can restore the ability to walk or grasp objects, should they be used to enhance strength or precision beyond what is naturally possible?

This expansion of human capabilities introduces a challenging ethical dilemma. When do we stop enhancing, and what does it mean for society if these technologies become commonplace or DIY, meaning Do-It-Yourself? 

Do we want to draw a line at all? Neurohacking is also about options, new possibilities, and getting more out of life. Perhaps enhancement is the natural next evolutionary step of our species.

The rise of DIY neurohacking - is it dangerous?
Over the past decade, neurotechnology has become increasingly accessible. The rise of affordable brain-computer interfaces and wearable technologies has become available to the general public.

Companies like NeuroSky, OpenBCI, and Emotiv have made brainwave-monitoring devices and neurostimulators affordable and accessible, even for DIY enthusiasts and hobbyists.

This democratization of technology allows individuals to experiment with ways to enhance their cognitive or physical performance outside of clinical settings. Which can be a good thing. However, this also raises concerns about safety and the potential for misuse.

In the forthcoming blogs, we will address both invasive and non-invasive neurohacking. Surgical procedures that introduce technology into the body to either replace or enhance natural functions, such as implants or prosthetic devices. Technologies that alter or influence the body without the need for surgery, like brain-machine interfaces that link the human brain with external devices.

Game on.

About the scientific papers:

First author: E. Paul Zehr, Canada
Published in: Journal of Motor Behavior
Link to paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00222895.2014.91665

First author: Günter Seyfried, Austria
Published in: Frontiers in Neuroscience, October 2023
Link to paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1188066/full