A device that was implanted into the brains of people with traumatic brain injuries substantially improved their cognitive function a year later, a small study suggests
By Chen Ly
4 December 2023
The device was implanted into the thalamus (highlighted), a region deep in the brain that is linked to alertness, learning and memory
SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images
An implant that stimulates a region deep in the brain may boost cognitive function in people with traumatic brain injuries long after the incident occurred. This is based on the results of a small study, which was primarily carried out to assess the device’s safety, with further research required.
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A major blow to the head, due to a car crash, for example, can result in a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In mild cases, this may temporarily affect someone’s brain cells, but in more severe incidents, the individual can have long-term emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioural impairments.
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“One of the major problems is that there really are no effective therapies for traumatic brain injury,” says Jaimie Henderson at Stanford University in California.
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In an attempt to combat this, Henderson and his colleagues developed an implant that could stimulate the thalamus – a region deep in the brain that is linked to alertness, learning and memory – to see if this could revive cognitive functions in those with TBI.