Smartphone controls therapeutic brain implants

Researchers, publishing in Nature Biomedical Engineering, believe the device can accelerate efforts to uncover brain diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, addiction, depression, and pain.

The device, using Lego-like replaceable drug cartridges and Bluetooth low-energy, can target specific neurons of interest using drug and light for prolonged periods.

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"The wireless neural device enables chronic chemical and optical neuromodulation that has never been achieved before," said lead author Raza Qazi, a researcher with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and University of Colorado Boulder.

In a statement, Qazi said this technology overshadows conventional methods used by neuroscientists, which often involve rigid metal tubes and optical fibres to deliver drugs and light. Apart from limiting the subject's movement because of the physical connections with the equipment, their relatively rigid structure eventually causes lesion in soft brain tissue, making them unsuitable for long-term implantation.