Experts are researching the use of brain implants to treat medical conditions — but they can alter the way patients see the world in potentially dangerous ways

Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images

• Deep brain stimulation is a medical procedure that inserts an implant into the brain. This implant can alter neural activity, in an effort to treat neural dysfunction. 
• In the past, patients have experienced a change in perception and hallucinations with the implant in place. 
• If the implant can control a person's behaviour to an extent, this raises questions over whether or not the person is wholly responsible for their actions. 

---

Mr. B loves Johnny Cash, except when he doesn't. Mr. X has watched his doctors morph into Italian chefs right before his eyes.

The link between the two? Both Mr. B and Mr. X received deep brain stimulation (DBS), a procedure involving an implant that sends electric impulses to specific targets in the brain to alter neural activity. While brain implants aim to treat neural dysfunction, cases like these demonstrate that they may influence an individual's perception of the world and behavior in undesired ways.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: Facebook can still track you even if you delete your account — here's how to stop it

See Also:

• A family keeps turning down millions for its house next to the Masters golf course
• More than 3,800 stores will close in 2018 — here's the full list
• Women have more active brains than men, according to science

SEE ALSO: I cut back on sugar, and this is the best advice I can give you if you want to do the same