Tongue zapper for brain stimulation
Electrical stimulation of the tongue could improve brain function after brain injury
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