Gone are the days where wireless brain stimulation is just a plot in science fiction films! Assistant Professor Po-Han Chiang and his research team at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at NYCU’s College of Electrical and Computer Engineering have used magnetic fields and nanotechnology to achieve real-life “wireless” stimulation of brain nerves, becoming the pioneers in the world to achieve “transgene-free magnetomechanical deep brain stimulation”. Their findings have been published in “Communications Biology”, a sister journal of “Nature”.
According to Professor Po-Han Chiang from NYCU, deep brain stimulation is commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. However, traditional deep brain stimulation requires implanting electric shocks into the brain tissue, which can damage the tissue and pose risks to the patient. This, along with the surgical risks, often leads to patients being hesitant to undergo treatment and results in a delayed condition and decreased quality of life. The magneto-mechanical deep brain stimulation technology offers a solution as it does not require gene carriers or large implants, has good biocompatibility, and significantly lower costs compared to traditional stimulation methods.
Professor Po-Han Chiang also mentioned that scientists globally are searching for a wireless deep brain stimulation method to replace electric shocks. Different methods are being explored, including electrical stimulation, light stimulation, ultrasonic stimulation, and magnetic field stimulation. Among these, the magnetic field remote control technology is considered the best option for wireless stimulation as it does not require implantation of electrodes in the brain or connection to any devices on the head. Additionally, the stimulation of the magnetic field when it penetrates deep tissues will not cause reflection, scattering, or refraction due to bones, tissues, or cavities, making it an outstanding method.
According to Professor Po-Han Chiang, the technology known as magneto-mechanical deep brain stimulation uses a constantly changing low-frequency magnetic field to vibrate nano-disks, which in turn stimulates and activates brain nerves. Other similar technologies often require the implantation of special ion channels in the cranial nerves through gene carriers such as viruses. However, Professor Po-Han Chiang and his team made a breakthrough discovery that the ion channels expressed by the brain nerve itself can be activated by adjusting magnetic field conditions without gene transfer. The team also successfully demonstrated the ability to wirelessly stimulate and activate the brain nerves of conscious mice with this technology.
Professor Po-Han Chiang has won the National Science and Technology Council’s Einstein Project and is the first scholar in the country to bring magnetogenetics and magnetomechanical brain nerve stimulation technology back to Taiwan for research and development. His team, combining with nanotechnology, electromagnetism, and neuroscience, used nanodisks to successfully stimulate deep brain nerves wirelessly. This technology is expected to be applied to the treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases in the future.
