Brain implant

From ArticleWorld

Brain implants refer to devices that are attached to the brain usually on its surface or on the cortex of the brain. This medical implanting procedure is used to treat functional parts of the brain which may have got damaged as a result of a brain haemorrhage or head injury. Brain implants are essentially interfaces created between neural systems and microchips in order to mend dysfunctions.

History of brain implants

Early research on the puzzling functioning of the brain led to conclusion that electrical stimulation in the brain or brain stem could result in responses in the body in the form of movements. Experiments on dogs in the 1870s proved this fact. After mapping of sensory and motor areas of the brains of patients in the early 20th century, surgeons made a breakthrough of sorts. In the 1950s, researches in the US proved that moods of a patient could be influenced by electrical signals.

Recent developments

The application of brain implants is severely limited because it is only a small percentage of the behaviour of the brain that is recognised. Neuroimaging techniques provide approximate ideas of the functional associations of neurons that are in need of stimulation by brain implants.

There have been some successes in vision and hearing implants. The main aim of a brain implant is to bridge the gap formed by dead brain cells. For this purpose neural-silicon chips that behave like neurons in transmitting signals to other brain cells are being developed. These could help patients of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases regain lost memory. Carbon fibres, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polycarbonate urethane may be put to use in the future, with nanotechnology steadily picking up pace.

Though currently more a subject of fiction than medical science, brain implants could well be a cause for hope in the near future for brain-damaged patients, considering the steady research that is taking place in the technology.