Wireless analgesic
Neuroscientists have learned to turn off pain remotely
Anna Obraztsova, N+1
A group of American scientists have created wireless implantable devices with which it will be possible to block pain signals before they reach the brain. A description of the development was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology (Parquet al., Soft, stretchable, fully implantable miniaturized optoelectronic systems for wireless optogenetic).
In order to control individual nerve cells, optogenetics methods have been developed in recent years. Neurons are genetically modified, and they begin to synthesize a light-sensitive protein. To excite such a neuron, it is enough to irradiate it with light. However, in order to deliver light to a certain neuron, it is now necessary to use optical fiber, which interferes with the movements of the laboratory animal and the conduct of some experiments.
The new development is small, flexible and stretchable wireless devices that can be implanted into any, even moving parts of the body. Another advantage of radio control is that the device can be placed arbitrarily deep in the body, for example, on the stomach or heart, in order to activate the neurons of this particular organ.
A picture from the press release of Washington University in St. Louis
Implantable wireless devices trigger – and may block – pain signals – VM
Implantable wireless devices trigger – and may block – pain signals – VM
To demonstrate the operation of the device, an experiment was conducted on mice with modified neurons. Such mice were launched into a maze, and when they ran into a certain area, the implant was activated. The mouse received an unpleasant sensation, which passed if the animal left this part of the maze, since the implant was turned off. The mice quickly learned to avoid this area.
The developers hope that their invention can be used to suppress specific pains that are not amenable to other methods of treatment. The implant was designed with a far-sighted expectation of mass production, so that it would be available to other researchers. To achieve this goal, the project manager launched the NeuroLux startup.
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10.11.2015