MIT's Technology Review has taken a look at a brain implant designed by Mountain View-based Neuropace to prevent the onset of seizures using electrical stimulation. Writer Emily Singer explains that:
While other devices stimulate the nervous system continuously or in a predetermined pattern, the Neuropace implant is unique in that it monitors the brain, delivering jolts of electricity only when it detects the abnormal electrical activity that signals the onset of a seizure.
Stanford neurosurgeon Jamie Henderson, MD, who was not involved with Neuropace or with the clinical trials, said of the device:
It sounds extremely promising. The demonstration that a system like this can be effective is a big step forward.
Photo by Mykl Roventine
