Scientists Build Brain Implant Powered Completely by User's Breathing

Neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease can be treated with brain stimulators.

Researchers claim in a study published last month in the journal Cells Report Physical Sciences that they've developed a way to charge the implants through breathing movements, which could free them from the messy mechanics of charging an object inside a human body.

A cerebric pacemaker is a device that sends electrical impulses into the brain to regulate brain activity. It's gained traction as a treatment for depression in recent years, and it can help patients mitigate the tremors associated with Parkinson's.

Brain stimulators aren't flawless. They have to have surgery to swap out their batteries every 3 years.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut worked to develop a brain stimulator that harnesses the energy that comes from breathing. It uses triboelectric charging, in which static electricity is generated through friction, like when you shuffle across a carpet.

The researchers used this effect to apply a triboelectric generator near the chest wall. Inhaling and exhaling causes the wall to rub against the generator, which in turn creates a current that charges a supercapacitor.

Jim Rusling, a chemist at the University of Connecticut and one of the authors of the new paper, said they wanted to make this fit in with the rest of the technology. If someone already has a deep brain stimulator, we could just replace the battery with a generator and not have to make a new one.

The simulation of a pig's chest used a real pig lung and was the first test of the nanogenerator. The pig lung's inhaling and exhaling powered the generator during the experiment. The brain stimulator was connected to a mouse's brain.

"This is the first system that combines all the pieces; efficient energy harvesting, energy storage and the controlled brain stimulator," said study co-author Islam Mosa. An effective deep brain stimulation approach for treating mental health conditions can be achieved by alternating periods of stimulation and no stimulation.

The self-sufficient system will be tested in large animals.

A completely paralyzed patient asks for beer and heavy metal.