Implant Uses A Microchip Embedded in the Spine To Edit Out Chronic Pain
Killing Pain Before it Reaches the Brain NICTA Researchers in Sydney have come up with a fix for chronic pain that's not really a fix at all: a smart chip that, when embedded in the spine, intercepts and blocks pain messages en route to the brain. The smart chip is embedded in the spine or somewhere else between the brain and the source of chronic pain. The chip itself is housed in a biocompatible casing that is smaller than the head of a match. That in turn is wired to a larger implanted device containing a battery - which charges wirelessly from an outside source - and a computer processor. According to its designers at National ICT Australia (NICTA), the chip can measure the properties of signals and pick out the ones that are carrying pain to the nerve center. When it sees a pain signal headed brainward, it can send out...