A device developed by Stanford University looks to kill off sexual predators urges when they have a “moment of weakness”.
The researchers have identified a brain signal that is sent out before we act on impulses that drowns out sense and inhibitions.
Experts found in experiments on mice that a zap to the nucleus accumbens could disrupt that brain signal and force us to reconsider the consequences.
While some impulses are necessary for survival, the team states that it could help prevent the likes of suicide and sexual assault.
Lead author Dr Casey Halpern said: “We’ve identified a real-time biomarker for impulsive behaviour.
“Impulses are normal and absolutely necessary for survival.
“They convert our feelings about what’s rewarding into concrete action to obtain food, sex, sleep and defences against rivals or predators.
“Imagine if you could predict and prevent a suicide attempt, a heroin injection, a burst of binge eating or alcohol intake, or a sudden bout of uncontrolled rage.
“There’s no available responsive neurostimulation intervention for dangerous impulsive behaviour yet, because until now no one’s been able to document a characteristic signature in the brain that could be used for triggering pulse delivery by the device.
“The fact that we saw a similar signal prior to two different behaviours, both intended to obtain rewards — food in the case of mice, money in the case of the human subject — to which the individuals had become hypersensitized by their repeated exposure suggests that this signal may be common to many impulsive behaviours, making them amenable to treatment along similar lines.”