From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Sun Apr 19 1998 - 03:57:44 MDT
"Nick Bostrom" <bostrom@ndirect.co.uk> writes:
> I wonder if transcranial magnetic stimulation could be used for
> recreational purposes, by noninvasively stimulating the pleasure
> centres? (At least it would be legal for some time before the
> legislators caught up with the development.)
Unfortunately, the pleasure centers (ventral tegmental area, septal
region, nucleus accumbens et al) are very deep inside the brain, so to
stimulate them you would have to stimulate most of the brain - with
nasty effects. But TMS might have other recreational uses (although
I'm not sure I recommend it; sending currents through one's brain can
be somewhat risky); stimulating the temporal lobe might cause
something akin to dostoyevskian epilepsia (i.e. a mystical experience
of meaningfulness, beauty and unity). But I think I will say no thanks
to trying it.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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