• Popular
    • Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Cardiology
    • Surgery
    • Nanomedicine
    • Military Medicine
    • Rehab
  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • Submit PR
  • Log in
Medgadget
Medgadget
  • Popular
    • Medicine
      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Microfluidic System Incorporates Eight Organ Tissues for Drug Testing

      Microfluidic System Incorporates Eight Organ Tissues for Drug Testing

      Suction Cup Delivers Drugs Through Cheek

      Suction Cup Delivers Drugs Through Cheek

    • Radiology
      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Portable and Radiation-Free Imaging with Magnetic Nanoparticles

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

      Imaging Technique Reveals Living Brain Tissue in its Complexity

    • Cardiology
      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      Ultrasound-Equipped Bra Monitors for Breast Cancer

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

      3D Printed Heart Muscle Beats

    • Surgery
      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Magnetic Dressing Improves Diabetic Wound Healing

      Sensor Monitors Transplanted Organs for Signs of Rejection

      Sensor Monitors Transplanted Organs for Signs of Rejection

      Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

      Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

      Droplet Battery Harnesses Ionic Gradients for Bioelectronic Implants

      Droplet Battery Harnesses Ionic Gradients for Bioelectronic Implants

    • Nanomedicine
      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Nanorobots Release Reactive Oxygen Species to Kill Fungal Biofilms

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

    • Military Medicine
      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

    • Rehab
      Stretchable E-Skin for Robotic Prostheses

      Stretchable E-Skin for Robotic Prostheses

      Glasses Provide Audible Prompts for Blind Wearers

      Glasses Provide Audible Prompts for Blind Wearers

      A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

      A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

      Robotic Ankle Helps with Postural Control in Amputees

      Robotic Ankle Helps with Postural Control in Amputees

  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Log in
  • Submit PR
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Optic Nerve Stimulation Device Could Provide Visual Aid for Blind People

August 20th, 2019 Conn Hastings Neurology, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Rehab

Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland have developed a new type of intraneural electrode to bypass the eyeball and send messages directly to the brain through the optic nerve. The technique could provide a visual aid for permanently blind people.

Using retinal implants to treat blindness is a developing field. The concept involves allowing users to have the sensation of observing light, which is experienced as white patterns. While this isn’t the same as full vision, it can serve as a visual aid for blind people as they go about their daily lives. In many cases, retinal implants can help those with visual impairments. However, for many totally blind people this approach isn’t suitable.

Another option is implanting a device in the brain that can directly stimulate the visual cortex. However, this technique is somewhat risky, making it largely unsuitable for general therapy. To find a new solution, the Swiss group of researchers developed a device that stimulates the optic nerve, as for many blind people the optic nerve and its connection with the brain are intact and functional.

“We believe that intraneural stimulation can be a valuable solution for several neuroprosthetic devices for sensory and motor function restoration,” said Silvestro Micera, a researcher involved in the study. “The translational potential of this approach is extremely promising.”

However, researchers have attempted such techniques before, as early as the 1990s. “Back then, they used cuff nerve electrodes,” explained Diego Ghezzi, another researcher involved in the study. “The problem is that these electrodes are rigid and they move around, so the electrical stimulation of the nerve fibers becomes unstable. The patients had a difficult time interpreting the stimulation, because they kept on seeing something different. Moreover, they probably have limited selectivity because they recruited superficial fibers.”

The new device contains electrodes that directly penetrate the optic nerve, and which are more stable than cuff electrodes. Called the OpticSELINE, the device contains an array of 12 electrodes. To study how this device stimulates the optic nerve and visual cortex, the researchers used it to deliver an electric current in rabbits and monitored brain activity. Each electrode elicited a unique response in the brain, suggesting that the device can produce selective stimulation.

“For now, we know that intraneural stimulation has the potential to provide informative visual patterns,” said Ghezzi. “It will take feedback from patients in future clinical trials in order to fine-tune those patterns. From a purely technological perspective, we could do clinical trials tomorrow.”

Study in Nature Biomedical Engineering: Spatially selective activation of the visual cortex via intraneural stimulation of the optic nerve

Via: EPFL

Conn Hastings

Conn Hastings received a PhD from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for his work in drug delivery, investigating the potential of injectable hydrogels to deliver cells, drugs and nanoparticles in the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. After achieving his PhD and completing a year of postdoctoral research, Conn pursued a career in academic publishing, before becoming a full-time science writer and editor, combining his experience within the biomedical sciences with his passion for written communication.

Sponsored
Ark Surgical Performs First Hysterectomies in the USA with its FDA-Cleared LapBox for Manual Morcellation

Ark Surgical Performs First Hysterectomies in the USA with its FDA-Cleared LapBox for Manual Morcellation

PACKAGING COMPLIANCE LABS WELCOMES NEW CFO, BERNADETTE LEGARETTA

PACKAGING COMPLIANCE LABS WELCOMES JENN GOFF, VP SALES, MARKETING, AND INNOVATION

Clarius Debuts its First Dual-Array Wireless Handheld Scanner Enabling Whole-Body Views of Superficial to Deep Anatomy

Clarius Debuts its First Dual-Array Wireless Handheld Scanner Enabling Whole-Body Views of Superficial to Deep Anatomy

National Liver Health Awareness Month Highlights the Urgent Need for Liver Disease Prevention

National Liver Health Awareness Month Highlights the Urgent Need for Liver Disease Prevention

interviews & reviews
A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

A Wearable to Manage Parkinson’s Motor Symptoms: Interview with Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco Neurotech

Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

Eko’s Newest CORE 500 Stethoscope: A Review

Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

Shear-Thinning Biomaterial for Embolic Applications: Interview with Upma Sharma, President and CEO of Arsenal Medical

Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

Refillable Device for Drug Delivery Past the Blood-Brain Barrier: Interview with Mike Maglin, CEO at CraniUS

UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

UV-Free Air Decontamination: Interview with Sorel Rothschild, VP at Quantum Innovations

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

EarliPoint Evaluation System for ASD Diagnosis: Interview with Tom Ressemann, CEO of EarliTec Dx

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

Visually Guided Uterine Biopsies in Physician’s Office: Interview with Allison London Brown, CEO of LUMINELLE

  • Subscribe
  • Contact us
  • Submit
  • About
  • Back to top
Medgadget

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

  • About
  • Editorial policies
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Submit press release
  • Advertise
© Medgadget, Inc. All rights reserved. | The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!