Pea-sized brain implant could treat depression and more [Video]

Engineers have developed the smallest implantable brain stimulator demonstrated in a human patient.

Thanks to pioneering magnetoelectric power transfer technology, the pea-sized device can be powered wirelessly via an external transmitter and used to stimulate the brain through the dura—the protective membrane attached to the bottom of the skull.

The brain stimulator, known as the Digitally programmable Over-brain Therapeutic (DOT), could revolutionize treatment for drug-resistant depression and other psychiatric or neurological disorders by providing a therapeutic alternative that offers greater patient autonomy and accessibility than current neurostimulation-based therapies and is less invasive than other brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).

“In this paper we show that our device, the size of a pea, can activate the motor cortex, which results in the patient moving their hand,” says Jacob Robinson, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering at Rice University. “In the future, we can place the implant above other parts of the …