8 Advancements In Brain Science Straight Out of Science Fiction (2 of 5)

7. Improved Deception

Folks, we aren’t done with the magic and wonder of tDCS quite yet. It turns out, when these treatments are used to inhibit the function of the anterior prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain responsible for deception, it has a way of making pretty convincing liars out of us. Participants of a study who received a zap were able to concoct a lie more quickly, although it had no effect on how swiftly they could answer questions truthfully. Even more interesting is that polygraph tests indicated this group was better at masking any guilt that they may have felt compared to the control group. Despite its enigmatic nature, this technology could have real-world applications, particularly for individuals such as spies, undercover police officers, or prisoners of war facing interrogation. 

6. Brain Cell Transplants

A biomedical solution for increasing our intelligence isn’t as far-fetched as it seems. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center sought to determine whether injecting mice with human astrocytes, a particular type of brain cell, would make them smarter. While the mice were still developing, researchers injected them with 100,000 astrocytes, and by the time the mice turned six months old, these human brain cells had fully replaced the original brain cells they were born with. The results? The “human-brained” mice had a superior memory and were able to learn far more quickly than their control group counterparts. Sounds like it’s only a matter of time before we humans are bowing down to our hyper-intelligent mice overlords.