Skip to Content
Biotechnology

Portable Brain Imaging May Provide a Roadside Pot Test

January 10, 2018

There may still be a better way than the “walk and turn” for cops eager to catch drugged drivers.

The problem: Many states are legalizing marijuana, but the way our bodies process it makes it hard to create objective tests to determine if someone is too high to drive. Previous attempts to create such tests have come to naught.

What’s new:  Stat reports that a brain cap could reveal shifts in brain activity that may be linked to unsafe levels of cannabis use. The device uses a technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy, which bounces light around the inside of the skull to measure changes in blood flow that may correspond to shifting communication between parts of the brain.

But: Researchers are still trying to ensure that the signals they see are actually a result of drug impairment. And it’s unclear how cops would use the device at the roadside.

Deep Dive

Biotechnology

The first babies conceived with a sperm-injecting robot have been born

Meet the startups trying to engineer a desktop fertility machine.

Doctors have performed brain surgery on a fetus in one of the first operations of its kind

A baby girl who developed a life-threatening brain condition was successfully treated before she was born—and is now a healthy seven-week-old.

A brain implant changed her life. Then it was removed against her will.

Her case highlights why we need to enshrine neuro rights in law.

The FDA just approved rub-on gene therapy that helps “butterfly” children

Biotech companies are getting creative with how they deliver DNA fixes into people's bodies.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.