| This is called "Functional testing of cognitive function" (usually something referring to trauma is added), and is an active area of study. There are research institutions doing this to everything from fruit flies, bats, dogs to monkeys in some cases. Hell, I even heard stories that doing it to monkeys is risky. Even smaller monkeys are smart enough to get loose, steal keys, remember access codes, cooperate, fake medical problems and they will exact revenge for what was done to cellmates. And some primates like gorillas have that, and sufficient strength to lift a small car easily. In a way, it's even done to humans. With the caveat that researchers aren't allowed to cause the damage in a human. However a sufficient number of humans have "acquired trauma to the brain" (got shot in the head/shoot themselves in the head/otherwise manage to insert large objects into their brain and are "lucky" enough to survive), and the medical papers on that by the treating physician are disseminated and studied. Sometimes the patients are available for further testing (often they are compensated for such studies, as it leads to new treatments and even medicines). And yes, for the treatment, one of the first steps is to immobilise the head in a metal contraption. I think you can see why movements of the head are unlikely to improve matters. Example paper in humans: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395622 Example paper in animals: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29326273 Here's a non-gruesome picture of it: http://www.kurzweilai.net/images/rat-with-implant.jpg (note that that rat still has a perforated cranial membrane with equipment keeping it perforated and will start suffering from extreme headaches in about a day, and die in weeks, from this procedure. They tend to be put down after a day or two because after that they just lie there and scream) |
