Computerised brain implant relieves pain in rats

The experiments carried out by the team are said to offer a blueprint for the development of brain implants to treat pain and other brain-based disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.

In their study, which is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the team showed that device-implanted rats withdrew their paws 40 per cent more slowly from sudden pain compared with times when their device was turned off.

Opioids abated with ‘injectrode’ neuromodulation technique

According to the study authors, this suggests that the device reduced the intensity of the pain the rodents experienced. In addition, animals in sudden or continuous pain spent about two-thirds more time in a chamber where the computer-controlled device was turned on than in a chamber where it was not.

Researchers said the investigation is the first to use a computerised brain implantto detect and relieve bursts of pain in real time. The device is also the first of its kind to target chronic pain, which often occurs without being prompted by a known trigger, the study authors said.