Micro-led that researchers implanted in mice to ease pain. Recent research on laboratory mice found that implanting a micro-LED blocked pain receptors. The current method requires altering neural DNA, but researchers are hoping to continue innovating to create an implant that will replace pain medication. (via Nature)
A recent group of researchers published their interesting findings on how implantable LEDs can help chronic pain sufferers in Nature Biotechnology. Among these researchers are Robert Gereau, a professor of anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis, and John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Both Gereau and Rogers decided to collaborate to develop this new breakthrough in implantable technology which could, theoretically, block pain receptors with the flick of a light switch. Gereau and his team of researchers had been studying and utilizing optogenetics technology by studying how light affected animals tethered to fiber-optic cables.
Optogenetics relies on external light sources to understand how groups of neurons work together to carry out a function. However, optogenetics requires adjustment of neural DNA to make the neurons sensitive to light. Hence, Gereau’s team altered the DNA of neurons within rats to control the firing or blocking of neural pathways with light emissions.
Before this research breakthrough, optogenetics used larger implants placed near a skeleton for support and connected to fiber-optic cables (making it unlikely to be replicated outside of the lab). Rodger’s team had already created and demonstrated how a flexible, micro-implant could turn an LED on and off within the brains’ of mice. Thus, the two teams decided to work together to develop a new micro-LED implant to be used to control and study the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.
The new micro-LED implant is small and flexible enough to be left embedded in the body for long periods of time without causing damage to the surrounding tissue. The researchers implanted this micro-LED and the epidural part of the spinal cord, or over the sciatic nerve in the lower part of the spinal cord. Once the neural DNA was altered, and the micro-LED was implanted, they found that turning the LED on and off could induce pain, or block pain. Hence, they hope to develop this technology to a point where it can be used in humans to stop chronic pain by turning on the LED in the spinal cord.
The LED is controlled wirelessly, and contains a tiny, malleable antenna that powers the implant by gathering energy from radio frequency signals (much like some space probes). This new design enables the possibility of gaining more data easily, and of functioning in complex test runs. However, this design will not work for humans until the team figures out how to make pain neurons sensitive to light without altering their DNA.
Still, while the idea of stopping chronic pain with the simple push of an on-switch for an implant seems easy and implies having less side effects than pain medication, I don't believe that having an implant on your spinal cord will have no effects. There is also the bigger issue caused by the fact that doctors still do not understand why chronic pain happens. This research hopes to understand the nervous systems which cause chronic pain, but perhaps a better understanding of the cause will present a much better and sustainable solution.
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