Brain's Dementia Weak Spot Identified
BBC news have just reported that intuitive links that doctors made between schizophrenia and dementia (they used to call schizophrenia 'early dementia') may just be right. MRI imaging of the areas of the brain last to develop, the parts used in high level functions such as seeing and hearing are the first to decline in sufferers. It's reported that this is a breakthrough in research and could be really useful in developing treatments.
Hmmm....what do you think when you read these kinds of articles? Speaking purely as a utopian idealist I have a feeling that I want more to be said about how social diversity and difference and ageing categories have changed over the last, say hundred years. Are we kinder, for example in our 'assessments' of people? Do we give also when we take information, make assessments? Is the new technology used to give back to the people being examined? How does this discovery help people live good lives? Or is it marketing material that can be picked up and used by expensive care providers? Well, you know, I think....
Because we used to judge the effects of medications that people with schizophrenia suffered as if they were the illness itself. Historically, IQ tests have been misapplied in infant and primary schools. Everyone has their list of concerns about social labelling. In the 21st century my interest is in how technology might be out of control and although doctors may want to do no harm that the technology is in the service of much earlier embedded stereotypes that do noone any favours.
What do you think?
