TELEPATHY 85
qualified yes. Radio waves can be beamed directly into the human
brain to excite areas of the brain known to control certain functions.
This line of research began in the 1950s, when Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield was performing surgery on the brains of
epileptic patients. He found that when he stimulated certain areas of
the temporal lobe of the brain with electrodes, people began to hear
voices and see ghostlike apparitions. Psychologists have known that
epileptic lesions of the brain can cause the patient to feel that supernatural forces are at work, that demons and angels are controlling
events around them. (Some psychologists have even theorized that the
stimulation of these areas might have led to the semimystical experiences that are at the basis of many religions. Some have speculated
that perhaps Joan of Arc, who single-handedly led French troops to
victory in battles against the British, might have suffered from such a
lesion caused by a blow to the head.)
On the basis of these conjectures, neuroscientist Michael Persinger
of Sudbury, Ontario, has created a specially wired helmet designed to
beam radio waves into the brain to elicit specific thoughts and emotions, such as religious feelings. Neuroscientists know that a certain
injury to your left temporal lobe can cause your left brain to become
disoriented, and the brain might interpret activity within the right
hemisphere as coming from another "self." This injury could create
the impression that there is a ghostlike spirit in the room, because the
brain is unaware that this presence is actually just another part of itself. Depending on his or her beliefs, the patient might interpret this
"other self" as a demon, angel, extraterrestrial, or even God.
In the future it may be possible to beam electromagnetic signals at
precise parts of the brain that are known to control specific functions.
By firing such signals into the amygdala, one might be able to elicit
certain emotions. By stimulating other areas of the brain, one might be
able to evoke visual images and thoughts. But research in this direction is only at the earliest stages.
qualified yes. Radio waves can be beamed directly into the human
brain to excite areas of the brain known to control certain functions.
This line of research began in the 1950s, when Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield was performing surgery on the brains of
epileptic patients. He found that when he stimulated certain areas of
the temporal lobe of the brain with electrodes, people began to hear
voices and see ghostlike apparitions. Psychologists have known that
epileptic lesions of the brain can cause the patient to feel that supernatural forces are at work, that demons and angels are controlling
events around them. (Some psychologists have even theorized that the
stimulation of these areas might have led to the semimystical experiences that are at the basis of many religions. Some have speculated
that perhaps Joan of Arc, who single-handedly led French troops to
victory in battles against the British, might have suffered from such a
lesion caused by a blow to the head.)
On the basis of these conjectures, neuroscientist Michael Persinger
of Sudbury, Ontario, has created a specially wired helmet designed to
beam radio waves into the brain to elicit specific thoughts and emotions, such as religious feelings. Neuroscientists know that a certain
injury to your left temporal lobe can cause your left brain to become
disoriented, and the brain might interpret activity within the right
hemisphere as coming from another "self." This injury could create
the impression that there is a ghostlike spirit in the room, because the
brain is unaware that this presence is actually just another part of itself. Depending on his or her beliefs, the patient might interpret this
"other self" as a demon, angel, extraterrestrial, or even God.
In the future it may be possible to beam electromagnetic signals at
precise parts of the brain that are known to control specific functions.
By firing such signals into the amygdala, one might be able to elicit
certain emotions. By stimulating other areas of the brain, one might be
able to evoke visual images and thoughts. But research in this direction is only at the earliest stages.