Fixing the Signal | Proto Magazine

Fixing the Signal | Proto Magazine: IMAGINE HAVING AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE the size of a grain of rice implanted in your body. The device connects to precisely selected nerves and reads and analyzes the electrical signals they send. If the device detects an aberrant signal—say, one that causes an overproduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a chemical implicated in rheumatoid arthritis—the device kicks in, responding with a carefully calibrated electrical code of its own that puts the brakes on TNF. Voilà! Your arthritis—or perhaps your asthma, hypertension or one of many other conditions that may respond to electrical stimulation—is relieved or cured, automatically, without drugs.