Mood-improving brain chip moves to clinical trial phase

Mood-improving brain chip moves to clinical trial phase

By admin, Ocak 21, 2025

Mood-improving brain chip moves to clinical trial phase





Mood-improving brain chip moves to clinical trial phase




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National Health System in England (NHS), an innovative device that aims to regulate mood using ultrasound. brain implant He’s getting ready to try. This groundbreaking project depression, dependence, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and epilepsy It has the potential to help patients with conditions such as.

It could be a life-changing device

Forest Neurotech developed by and “Forest 1” This device, called Nerve Cells, activates nerve cells in a targeted way by sending ultrasound pulses to certain parts of the brain. The device, an advanced brain-computer interface (BCI), is placed under the skull but outside the brain. Trial, England Agency for Advanced Research and Innovation (Aria) with a budget of £6.5 million and approx. in 30 patients The safety and tolerability of the device will be tested.




Mood-improving brain chip moves to clinical trial phase




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Neurosurgeon, one of the leaders of the project Dr. Aimun Jamjoomstated that the device is especially promising for patients with depression and epilepsy who do not respond to traditional treatments: “If you look at conditions like depression or epilepsy, a third of these patients don’t get better. “It is in these groups that such technology can be a life-changing solution.”

How does it work?

device, ultrasound waves It can create 3D activity maps of the brain by detecting small changes in blood flow. This technology offers approximately 100 times higher resolution than a magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) device. It can also activate nerve cells in certain brain regions and change emotional states such as motivation or mood. Aria describes the device as “the most advanced BCI in the world” due to its ability to alter activity in multiple regions simultaneously.




Mood-improving brain chip moves to clinical trial phase




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The NHS trial will involve patients with brain damage who have had part of their skulls temporarily removed to relieve a critical build-up of pressure in the brain. This means the device can be tested without the need for extensive surgery. Participants will wear the device on their scalp in the area of ​​skull damage for two hours. Brain activity will be measured and researchers will test whether patients’ moods and feelings of motivation can be reliably altered.

Although ultrasound is safe to use, there are safety risks such as the device’s potential to create heat. Prof. from Plymouth University, who took part in the project. Elsa Fouragnan stated that minimizing these risks is a priority. It was also stated that it is of great importance that the device does not undesirably change personality or decision-making processes.

The study will last three and a half years, starting in March, with the first eight months focused on gaining regulatory approval. If successful, Forest will move on to a new full clinical trial for a condition such as depression.

However, important ethical questions are raised during the development and implementation of the device. Clare Elwell, professor of medical physics at University College London (UCL), said: “These innovations may be moving really fast from a technical perspective, but we are lagging behind when it comes to addressing neuroethical issues. “We are now accessing neural pathways in a way that was not possible before, so we need to carefully consider the clinical impact of any intervention and ensure we are always acting in the patient’s best interests.”






Source

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jan/20/brain-implant-boost-mood-ultrasound-nhs-trial


https://forestneurotech.org/our-technology






















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