Scientists control minds using 'switches' in the brain in world first

Scientists have been able to conduct “mind control” remotely in an incredible world-first experiment.

Mind control might seem like something out of science fiction, with possibly the closest thing we can get to consciously controlling our own minds without technology being lucid dreaming.

Now, however, an experiment involving mice has shown how the change of a magnetic field was able to alter the behaviour of animals fitted with special “switches” inside their brains.

At the change of the magnetic field, mice were able to be told to feed, socialise with others and act with maternal instincts as researchers targeted areas of the brain associated with these actions.

Researchers from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Yonsei University in South Korea have engineered mice that have nanoparticle-activated “switches” inside their brains.

The technology has been dubbed “Nano-MIND” and combines genetics, nanoparticles, and magnetic fields. It allows researchers to remotely activate circuits of the brain.

To achieve this, ion channels were integrated into the target areas of brain cells. These ion channels could be turned on and off remotely, pulling at the nanoparticles of the brain cells when the magnetic field was active.

Significant differences in food intake were noted when the mice were in and outside of the magnetic field, suggesting that the desire to feed could be manipulated remotely.

It is hoped the groundbreaking technology could provide future treatments for disorders that affect emotions, social behaviours and appetite.

Jinwoo Cheon, senior author and director of the IBS Center for Nanomedicine, explained: “This is the world's first technology to freely control specific brain regions using magnetic fields.”

They continued: “We expect it to be widely used in research to understand brain functions, sophisticated artificial neural networks, two-way brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies, and new treatments for neurological disorders.”

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