Chinese team implants brain sensor without cracking skull
- Researchers in Tianjin say they inserted a device in a goat’s brain via a vein on the weekend
- The less-invasive technique is a new way of capturing electrical neural signals, lead scientist says
Chinese researchers say they have implanted a sensor in an animal’s brain without piercing the skull, with potential implications for treatment of conditions such as Parkinson’s and paralysis.
Researchers from Nankai University in the northern port city of Tianjin said the sensor was inserted in a goat through a vein and received strong and clear electrical signals from the animal’s brain.
“The biggest advantage of this technique is that it doesn’t require invasive open-brain surgery to obtain electrical signals and the entire operation can be completed in less than two hours,” said lead researcher Duan Feng, a professor at the university’s college of artificial intelligence.
“This approach is completely a new way of capturing brain electrical signals … It may be a disruptive [technology],” he said, adding that the experiment on the weekend was a first for China.
Scientists have been researching brain implants for decades in hopes of restoring function in people with damaged neural pathways from the brain to the muscles.