Brain Implants An Overview On The Advancements And

Brain Implants- An Overview On The Advancements And Neuroethics A literature review from a bioelectronics standpoint - VAISHNAVI B BHAT

WHAT ARE BRAIN IMPLANTS? ? • Powerful medical tools connected directly to the brain • Send pulses of electricity to neurons • Override native firing patterns https: //www. nbcnews. com/mach/science/memory-boosting-brain-implants-are-works-would-you-get-one-ncna 868476

CATEGORIES OF BRAIN IMPLANTS NEURAL IMPLANTS Implants that stimulate brain • DBS • VNS Implants that record brain signal and activity • Stentrode • Bioresorbable implants

DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION • • Parkinson’s disease Inactivation of basal ganglia Neurostimulators like micro-electrode array 150, 000 people with DBS implant as of 2018 https: //www. researchgate. net/publication/7281464_Electrophysiological_Mapping_of_Cat_Primary_Auditory_Cortex_with_Multielectrode_Arrays/figures? lo=1 https: //www. aans. org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Deep-Brain-Stimulation https: //www. researchgate. net/publication/325942843_MR_Spectroscopy_Findings_of_the_Basal_Ganglia_in_Bipolar_Disorders_a_Systematic_Review/figures? lo=1

VAGUS NERVE STIMULATION • Tenth cranial nerve, arises from the medulla • Generator is implanted below the person’s collarbone • Medically intractable, partial epilepsy ; Clinical depression https: //www. researchgate. net/publication/51696122_Somatic_Treatments_for_Mood_Disorders/figures? lo=1

STENTRODE • • • Stent-like electrodes Injectable electronic mesh Infused into body as liquid Hardens into stretchy, taffy-like substance Catheter angiography procedure Real-time imaging https: //www. kurzweilai. net/new-implantable-stentrode-may-allow-paralyzed-patients-to-control-an-exoskeleton-with-their-mind? utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=Feed. Blitz. Email&utm_content=594480&utm_campaign=Web

BIORESORBABLE IMPLANTS • • • Can be broken down and absorbed by the body Thin electronic sensors built on dissolvable silicon sheets Monitor temperature and pressure within the skull after surgery Melt away when not needed Reduce risks of post surgery and haemorrhage https: //www. medgadget. com/2016/05/researchers-develop-dissolvable-electronic-brain-implants. html

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THESE? ? 1. 2. 3. 4. Possibility of infection because of implants Limb co-ordination improved after switching off the DBS implant Significant change in personality No way of knowing the position site to place the implants in advance 5. Tissue damage 6. Encapsulation by astrocytes 7. Degradation of wire bundle, tethering of probes 8. To make reliable, long term connection 9. Neuro-psychiatric side effects 10. Ethical conundrums

NEUROETHICS ü ü ü • • • William Safire- 17 years ago Privacy concerns Risk of micro-chips being hacked Right to cognitive liberty Neuroethical policies Manipulate person in-order to be therapeutically effective? Enhance or suppress certain traits of personality? Change who we are? Who possess the data? What do they really control?

WHAT’S THE FUTURE? ? o o o o Implants to simultaneously record brain signals and stimulate Electrodes to detect developing seizures Wireless implants Electrodes that constantly move to maintain connections Electrodes in glass cones filled with nerve growth factors Electrodes made up of conducting polymers (printed electrodes) Use of bioresorbable implants for electrical stimulation and drug delivery systems

CHALLENGES ü ü ü Refinement in the treatment of complex motor problems Effective control of neuropsychiatric complications Improved understanding of symptoms Avoiding iatrogenic problems Defining and delineating neural ethics Future contrivances to be used only after meticulous evaluation