Overview

• Stanford University researchers have developed a deep brain stimulation implant that has shown significant success in restoring cognitive function in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries.
• The implant stimulates the central lateral nucleus, a region deep in the brain that controls alertness, learning, and memory, effectively 'turning the lights back up' in the brain.
• In a trial involving five patients, the device improved mental processing speeds by an average of 32% over a 90-day treatment period, far exceeding the researchers' initial aim of 10% improvement.
• The treatment was so effective that two participants refused to have their devices turned off for a planned phase of the study, and one participant's mental processing speed dropped by 34% when their device was turned off for three weeks.
• Following the success of this trial, the researchers are now preparing for a larger phase 2 clinical trial.