Wireless Brain Stimulation

Mar-19-15 A new wireless form of electrical brain stimulation could open the door to more efficient treatments of neurological disorders.

Stimulating the brain electrically has proven effective in treating the tremors caused by Parkinson's disease, but the treatment has been considered extreme because of the need to implant wires in the brain. The new treatment, developed by a team from MIT, relies instead upon magnetic, 22-nanometer diameter iron oxide particles that have been injected into the brain. When an external, alternating magnetic field is projected over the particle-embedded area, the particles will heat up and trigger the capsaicin receptors in the brain. (The researchers modified the genetics of selected neurons to produce capsacin receptors in order to make these neurons excitable by heat.) These particles will remain in place in the brain, allowing for long-term treatment.

The therapy is still in the proof-of-concept stage, and much research still remains in order to make the treatment feasible for treatment or brain research.

More Info about this Invention:

[MEDGADGET.COM]
[NEWSOFFICE.MIT]

---