Tongue zapper for brain stimulation
CBC Radio | Posted: February 19, 2016 9:42 PM | Last Updated: February 19, 2016
Electrical stimulation shortcut to the brain function
Our brains are soft, delicate organs. And there are many ways they can become damaged. A traumatic brain injury, for example. Or a stroke. Or even a neuro-degenerative disorder, like Multiple Sclerosis. Typically, it takes extensive physical therapy to make even minute progress in recovering abilities damaged by these conditions.
But now, there's a new device, currently being tested in clinical trials, that could improve brain function for those who've suffered a loss - with a simple zap of the tongue.
Mitch Tyler is a Researcher and Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who helped develop the device, known as the Portable NeuroModulation Stimulator, or PoNS, for short.
Related Links
- PoNS device
- University of Wisconsin-Madison release
- Details of PoNS from UW-M
- Paper in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
- University of Wisconsin-Madison release
- Details of PoNS from UW-M
- Paper in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation