Short term memory problems can be improved with laser therapy, according to new study
Dec 2022, phys.org
Non-invasive:
Could improve short term, or working memory in people by up to 25%. The treatment, called transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM), is applied to an area of the brain known as the right prefrontal cortex.
via University of Birmingham and Beijing Normal University in China: Chenguang Zhao et al, Transcranial photobiomodulation enhances visual working memory capacity in humans, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3211.
System that uses light stimulation to modulate brain waves
Oct 2022, phys.org
Small implant containing LEDs placed inside the brain to deliver light directly. Opsin proteins within brain cells were altered using a gene therapy to make them sensitive to light.The technique of closed-loop optical neurostimulation "allowed us to boost or suppress brain waves."Successfully suppressed abnormal brain waves that resembled epileptic seizures.
via Newcastle University: B. Zaaimi et al, Closed-loop optogenetic control of the dynamics of neural activity in non-human primates, Nature Biomedical Engineering (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00945-8
New flexible, steerable device placed in live brains by minimally invasive robot
Oct 2022, phys.org
Only minimally invasive:
Robotically delivered brain surgery, using bioinspired steerable catheter, inspired by organs used by parasitic wasps to stealthily lay eggs in tree bark, and connected to to a robotic platform that combines human input and machine learning to carefully steer the catheter.
via Imperial College London: Riccardo Secoli et al, Modular robotic platform for precision neurosurgery with a bio-inspired needle: System overview and first in-vivo deployment, PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275686
