Wireless Method for Stimulating Brain Tissue

Wireless Method for Stimulating Brain Tissue

By Ayanna Flegler

As most of the gadgets we use today are becoming wireless, it is no surprise that medicine is taking part in the wireless trend. A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led by Polina Anikeeva, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, have successfully developed a wireless method to stimulate brain tissue without the need of any implants or wired devices.

Current methods for stimulating brain tissue require the surgical implant of an electrode inside the brain, connected to an outside source, to stimulate the brain via electrical impulses. In this new technology, on the other hand, magnetic nanoparticles are injected into the brain and stimulation is achieved using a magnetic field. The precise nanoparticles injected are magnetic iron oxide particles, 22 nanometers in diameter. When these magnetic nanoparticles are exposed to an external alternating magnetic field, they rapidly heat up. This local temperature increase leads to neural activation by triggering heat-sensitive capsaicin receptors which are the same proteins that the body uses to recognize tangible heat and the hot taste of spicy foods. Viral gene delivery to selected neurons in the brain was used to induce their heat sensitivity. Since these magnetic nanoparticles do not interact with any biological tissue except when heated and stay where placed, this method is favorable for long-term treatments as no further invasive procedures are required. “The nanoparticles integrate into the tissue and remain largely intact,” Anikeeva says. “Then, that region can be stimulated at will by externally applying an alternating magnetic field.”

This innovative method can help treat many neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and holds great promise for therapies involving brain tissue. It could also be used to treat cancer by using magnetic nanoparticles to target cancer cells and destroy them with heat. The therapeutic applications of this wireless brain stimulation technique are numerous. Anikeeva says, “In the future, our technique may provide an implant-free means to provide brain stimulation and mapping.”

References:
https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/magnetic-brain-stimulation-0312
http://www.kurzweilai.net/wireless-brain-stimulation-with-magnetic-nanoparticles
http://www.technology.org/2015/03/13/new-wireless-brain-stimulation-technique-developed/

Photo courtesy of dollarphotoclub.com

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