Medicine
fromWIRED
3 days agoA Brain Implant for Depression Is About to Be Tested in Humans
A new brain-computer interface aims to treat severe depression through electrical stimulation, approved for human trials by the FDA.
Named Leia, the device has electrodes sewn into it, which restores the user's sensation to the foot sole as well as reduces their chronic pain. When the electrodes stimulate specific nerve strands, the body releases chemical messengers, and these block pain signals from traveling through the nervous system. A small tracker sits in the upper part of the sock, in the shaft section. It is this part that receives data from the pressure sensors and converts it into electrical signals.