Hans-Werner Bothe
Encyclopedia
Hans-Werner Bothe is a German philosopher and neurosurgeon. Bothe is founder of the recent field of research on Neurobionics
.
and Medicine
from 1973 until 1981 in Tübingen
und Mainz
, graduated 1978 in Philosophy
with Magister Artium, later working for three years at the Max-Planck-Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne
. He received his PhD in 1983 (thesis: Artificial Brain Abscess in Cats and Therapy with Antibiotics and Steroids).
He specialized in Neurosurgery
and completed his residency training at Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz
. After achieving habilitation
in 1991 he taught at Hanover
Medical School
and worked together with Madjid Samii at Nordstadt Hospital in Hanover
. In 1993 he obtained a tenured professor
for Neurosurgery at Westfälische Wilhelms-University in Münster
.
Bothe initiated and organized the 1st International Workshop on Neurobionics in 1992 and founded thereby the recent field of research on Neurobionics, which aims at substitution of impaired functions of brain and spinal cord by neurosurgical implantation of microelectronic systems. For that purpose he brought together an international consortium of scientists covering for mathematics, neuroinformatics, biological basic research, microsystems, and medicine.
In 1991 he launched the International Neurobionics Foundation together with Daniel Goeudevert, Madjid Samii, and other representatives of science, industry, and policy. From 1991 until 1995 he managed the foundation as executive director of the board. He developed microelectronic implants to treat blind patients suffering from damaged retina
(with B. Fischer, J.W. Bartha, et al.), microelectronic therapy to manage urinary incontinence
(with B. von Heyden), and paraplegia
(with J. Holsheimer).
Alterations of personality traits (antisocial behaviour concomitant to impaired moral decision making) observable after deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus
(for therapy of Parkinsonian
patients) brought him to be engaged in the problem of determinism
and free will
from both the perspective of neuroscience
, and philosophy of mind
: He accounts for the conviction that there is merely limited causality
on the relationsship between activity of the brain
and phenomenological events
of the 1st person perspective due to non-linearity of cerebral information processing and supported logic
ally by Gödel's incompleteness theorems
.
Neurobionics
Neurobionics is aimed at the objective to substitute failed and damaged parts of the human brain and spinal cord by artificial, implantable systems of information processing...
.
Life
Bothe studied PhilosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
from 1973 until 1981 in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
und Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, graduated 1978 in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
with Magister Artium, later working for three years at the Max-Planck-Institute for Neurological Research in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. He received his PhD in 1983 (thesis: Artificial Brain Abscess in Cats and Therapy with Antibiotics and Steroids).
He specialized in Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
and completed his residency training at Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. After achieving habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
in 1991 he taught at Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
Medical School
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
and worked together with Madjid Samii at Nordstadt Hospital in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. In 1993 he obtained a tenured professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
for Neurosurgery at Westfälische Wilhelms-University in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
.
Bothe initiated and organized the 1st International Workshop on Neurobionics in 1992 and founded thereby the recent field of research on Neurobionics, which aims at substitution of impaired functions of brain and spinal cord by neurosurgical implantation of microelectronic systems. For that purpose he brought together an international consortium of scientists covering for mathematics, neuroinformatics, biological basic research, microsystems, and medicine.
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
(with B. Fischer, J.W. Bartha, et al.), microelectronic therapy to manage urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence is any involuntary leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a profound impact on quality of life. Urinary incontinence almost always results from an underlying treatable medical condition but is under-reported to medical practitioners...
(with B. von Heyden), and paraplegia
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
(with J. Holsheimer).
Alterations of personality traits (antisocial behaviour concomitant to impaired moral decision making) observable after deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus
Subthalamic nucleus
The subthalamic nucleus is a small lens-shaped nucleus in the brain where it is, from a functional point of view, part of the basal ganglia system. Anatomically, it is the major part of subthalamus. As suggested by its name, the subthalamic nucleus is located ventral to the thalamus. It is also...
(for therapy of Parkinsonian
Parkinsonism
Parkinsonism is a neurological syndrome characterized by tremor, hypokinesia, rigidity, and postural instability. The underlying causes of parkinsonism are numerous, and diagnosis can be complex...
patients) brought him to be engaged in the problem of determinism
Determinism
Determinism is the general philosophical thesis that states that for everything that happens there are conditions such that, given them, nothing else could happen. There are many versions of this thesis. Each of them rests upon various alleged connections, and interdependencies of things and...
and free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
from both the perspective of neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, and philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
: He accounts for the conviction that there is merely limited causality
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
on the relationsship between activity of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
and phenomenological events
Phenomenology (psychology)
Phenomenology is an approach to psychological subject matter that has its roots in the philosophical work of Edmund Husserl. Early phenomenologists such as Husserl, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty conducted their own psychological investigations in the early 20th century...
of the 1st person perspective due to non-linearity of cerebral information processing and supported logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
ally by Gödel's incompleteness theorems
Gödel's incompleteness theorems
Gödel's incompleteness theorems are two theorems of mathematical logic that establish inherent limitations of all but the most trivial axiomatic systems capable of doing arithmetic. The theorems, proven by Kurt Gödel in 1931, are important both in mathematical logic and in the philosophy of...
.
Publications
- Neurobionik - Zukunftsmedizin mit mikroelektronischen Implantaten (in German), Umschau, Frankfurt, 1998 (with M. Engel)
- Visual field with a resolution of 64 points by selective stimulation of the optic nerve, Zentralbl Neurochir, Suppl 1, 2001 (with B. Fischer and A. Brentrup)
- Transverse tripolar spinal cord stimulation, Neuromodulation 9, 2006 (with J.C. Oakley and F. Espinosa)
External links
- Internationale Stiftung Neurobionik (International Neurobionics Foundation)