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brain implants

The image shows a brain with small lights inside it.

·May 28, 2014·3 min read

Journey of Discovery Starts Toward Understanding and Treating Networks of the Brain

DARPA's SUBNETS program includes two complementary research pathways that emphasize neural plasticity and single-neuron recording.

Featured Neurology

·May 13, 2014·2 min read

Human Learning Altered by Electrical Stimulation of Dopamine Neurons

Human reinforcement learning was modified by deep brain stimulation of substantia nigra dopamine containing neurons.

The image shows astrocytes grown on a soft substrate.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 12, 2014·3 min read

Filling Me Softly

Implant stiffness is a major cause of foreign body reaction, neuroscience researchers claim.

This is an image of the face used in the study.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·November 20, 2013·4 min read

Focusing on Faces

The neurons in the amygdala of ASD patients have reduced sensitivity to the eye region of other people's faces, a new study reports.

The image shows the instrument described in the article.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 19, 2013·2 min read

Building Better Brain Implants: The Challenge of Longevity

New brain implant technologies could help bioengineers create a device which can withstand the physiological conditions in the brain on a long-term basis.

The image shows an implanted vagus nerve device.

Featured Neurology

·May 7, 2013·3 min read

Nerve Stimulation for Severe Depression Changes Brain Function

Preliminary brain scan studies reveal how vagus nerve stimulation brings about changes in brain metabolism weeks prior to patients with depression entering into recovery.

The image shows the optogenetic LED device being threaded through the eye of a needle.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 11, 2013·4 min read

Tiny Wireless Device Shines Light on Mouse Brain, Generating Reward

Researchers implant optogenetic electronic device into mouse brains, stimulating dopamine producing neurons by emitting light.

The image shows a patient undergoing surgery for a deep brain stimulation implant.

Featured Neurology

·March 4, 2013·5 min read

Parkinson’s Disease Brain Rhythms Detected

Researchers have discovered how to detect abnormal brain rhythms associated with Parkinson's disease by implanting electrodes into the brains of patients with this neurodegenerative disorder.

The image is a computerized illustration of a brain in a human head, set to look like an x-ray.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 20, 2013·4 min read

Secrets of Human Speech Uncovered

A new study has uncovered the neurological basis of speech motor control, the complex coordinated activity of tiny brain regions that controls our lips, jaw, tongue and larynx as we speak.

The image shows a person undergoing a deep brain stimulation implant surgery.

Featured Neurology

·February 12, 2013·4 min read

In Some Dystonia Cases, Deep Brain Therapy Benefits may Linger After Device is Turned Off

According to a new report, two patients with Dystonia were freed from the severe debilitating effects of the disease through deep brain stimulation therapy, continued to have symptom relief for months after their devices accidentally were fully or partly turned off.

The image shows the set up and output images for this research. The caption best explains the image.

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·February 12, 2013·5 min read

Neuroprosthesis Gives Rats the Ability to ‘Touch’ Infrared Light

Researchers have given rats the ability to "touch" infrared light by fitting them with an infrared detector wired to microscopic electrodes implanted in the part of the mammalian brain that processes tactile information. The study demonstrated that a novel sensory input could be processed by a cortical region specialized in another sense without "hijacking" the function of this brain area.

The image shows Dr Tandon operating on a patient to place electrodes on the brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 29, 2013·3 min read

In-Brain Monitoring Shows Memory Network

Working with patients with electrodes implanted in their brains, researchers show that areas of the brain work simultaneously to recall memories. The approach promises new insights into how we remember details of time and place.