As much as we ’d like to think we ’re always in ascendence of our own actions , a caboodle of human behaviour , temper , and drug abuse can be trace to involuntary reactions in the brain . As researchers learn more about what ’s going on inside our head , they ’re finding the light switch that see some of our most basic function — many of which can be turned off .
1. Thirst
Researchers have a go at it the ascendancy center for thirst is somewhere in thehypothalamus , an Prunus amygdalus - sized section of the human brain that regulates a telephone number of our basic functions ( hunger , sexuality ride , temperature ) . But latterly , neuroscientists atColumbia Universityidentified two specific populations of nerve cell in the hypothalamus of mice that hold the pulse to hydrate , and they need to know what happens when they ’re activated . By using a process calledoptogenetics , they manipulate these cell to make them sensitive to certain wavelengths of light . Then , fiber - optic cables were implanted in the brains of mouse that when illuminated , sprain the equate neuron on or off .
They receive that one group of thirst neurons “ kindle acute drinking behavior ” when activated . How acute ? shiner drank up to eight percent of their body weight in water when these neurons were switched on . That ’s the equivalent of a homo imbibition a gallon and a half of water in10 minute .
The 2nd grouping of neurons reduce the desire to drink , even when the creature is deprived of weewee . you may see TV of some very athirst black eye from this studyhere .
2. Hunger
Using the same optogenetics proficiency , scientist at Johns Hopkins University have nail thebrain cellsthat control our caprice to eat . When these cells are activated in mice , the rodents are obligate to gormandize themselves well beyond the percentage point of being full . But when they ’re shut down , the mice ignore intellectual nourishment , even when they should be thirsty . Researchers think this entropy could potentially help treateating disorder in humans .
3. Consciousness
We consider consciousness and ego - awareness to be defining characteristics of human liveliness . So it may storm you to know that such sacred traits can be plow off and on like a light switch in a lab setting . At George Washington University , Mohamad Koubeissi and his team by chance flipped the switch while using electrodes to induce dissimilar parts of the learning ability in anepileptic woman .
When they energize a section called theclaustrum , the patient lost consciousness , but she did n’t slip away out . rather she sit motionless with a white stare and showed no response to pool cue around her . She snapped out of her trance when the stimulation stop , and had no retentiveness of the lapse . " at long last , if we acknowledge how consciousness is produce and which part of the brainpower are involved then we can understand who has it and who does n’t , " says Christof Koch at theAllen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle . “Do robot have it ? Do fetus ? Does a cat or dog or louse ? ” The caution : because of her epilepsy , this woman had part of her hippocampus removed , so her mentality is far from that of a “ normal ” person .
Other field have render the human encephalon may flip off self - awareness when we ’re stressed , without any assist from research worker . In 2006 , neurobiologist from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot , Israel observed that when humanity are forced to focus on a hard task ( particularly under a strict deadline ) , the area of our brains associated with introspection , the cortex , becomes quiet , and we go into a form of robotic mode until the undertaking is done . This ability could have evolve for design of self - United States Department of Defense . " If there is a sudden danger , such as the visual aspect of a snake in the grass , it is not helpful to stand around wondering how one feels about the berth , " researcherIlan Goldberg toldNew Scientist .
4. Pain
We can already ease pain with certain drugs , but many discussion occur with side effects like dependance and tolerance . Saint Louis University researcherDaniela Salveminiand her squad think they ’ve find a way to treat inveterate annoyance triggered by mettle damage , including the physical torment triggered by chemotherapy and ivory cancer . By plough on the “ A3 adenosine sensory receptor ” in the brainiac and spinal cord , Salvemini and her squad were able to obturate pain due to brass damage in gnawer , without any of the side personal effects associate with drug treatment .
5. Violence
What if we could reduce the human itch to defend ? Dayu Lin fromNew York Universityzoomed in on the hypothalamus , the previously - mentioned hub of bodily function , to look at the specific neuron that fire during acts of strong-arm vehemence . By stimulating those neurons using optogenetics , Lin was capable to turn male mice into vicious fighters that attacked anything in their neighborhood — include breathless objects , and both male and distaff computer mouse . She could also steady them , quelling their violent urges by silencing these nerve cell . Could this scheme one day be used on people ? " I mean there ’s every ground to think that this would be true in humans , " tell Newton Canteras , a neuroscientist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil , and aco - author of this subject field .
Interestingly , Lin and her squad line up violence - inducing nerve cell overlap and vie with nerve cell associated with sexual urge . In fact , the act of sex temporarily suppresses the violent urges in mice .
6. Bad habits
Ca n’t lay off biting your nails ? Plagued by an urge to crack your knuckles ? neuroscientist have obtain the brain cells creditworthy for habit establishment , at least in stinker . By turn these neurons on or off , they are able to eliminate or encourage the formation of new habits . To essay this , they gave science laboratory scab a new drug abuse . With a little assistance from a tasty payoff , scientist trained the rodents to navigate a tangle until it became so accustomed that they ’d do it even after the reward was supervene upon by punishment . But when the neuron were inhibited in the lab , the habit disappeared .
Right now , this kind of procedure would be too invasive to adjudicate on human , suppose Professor Ann Graybiel , a penis of the McGovern Institute forBrain Research at MIT.But it does pave the way of life for similar , more advanced treatments in the futurity .
7. Parkinson’s, depression—and maybe Alzheimer’s
Using electrode plant in the brainpower , a neurosurgeon from the University of Toronto name Andres Lozano is harnessing electricity to address some of humanity ’s most vexing complaint . For lesson , Lozano have it off which nerve cell in the brain are misfiring to get the severe shaking associated with Parkinson ’s disease . In hisTED Talk , he explain , “ we use electricity to dictate how they fire , and we seek to block their misdeed using electricity . So in this case , we are suppressing the activity of abnormal neuron . ” As a issue of this suppression , earth tremor can be dramatically reduce .
Lozano has done exchangeable work with areas in the mind that have severe low and is “ seeing very prominent results in these patients , ” he enjoin . Can this advance work for retentiveness ? In2014,he launch a clinical trial to regale 50 people with balmy Alzheimer ’s with electric stimulus “ to get these areas of the brain that were not using glucose to use glucose once again . ” We ’ll know in April if the treatment worked .
