Brain Stimulation with Infrared Light
December 2, 2009
Researchers have recently found that infrared light has the capability of stimulating brain cells. Infrared light causes the excitation of neurons thus altering their activity. This new type of brain stimulation method is referred to as infrared nerve stimulation (INS). INS has a variety of applications for altering the functioning of central nervous system disorders. For many brain disorders, brain activity is altered in comparison to more normal states. Infrared light has a very high selectivity and can target very small sub-populations of brain cells. This type of stimulation could potentially reduce many of the side effects of current brain stimulation.
Unfortunately it would not allow for non-invasive brain stimulation. However it could potentially be used in deep brain stimulation devices. Current deep brain stimulation devices are basically brain implants that use electricity to alter the surrounding brain tissue. A person requires brain surgery to get a deep brain stimulation implant. The deep brain stimulation device is hooked up to a battery that is inserted into a person’s chest. In the future scientists may be able to use infrared light for deep brain stimulation implants in place of the electricity that is used now. This would allow a better targeting accuracy and higher efficacy for those types of brain implants.
Infrared brain stimulation may be used for a variety of other therapeutic indications. Researchers may use it for those who have traumatic brain injuries. It could potentially be a useful tool for brain rehabilitation. Infrared nerve stimulation would allow for a more precise mapping of the brain’s cortex. It would enable scientists to better understand the functioning of the brain by selectively activating for deactivating specific brain regions.
Researchers have recently used infrared to stimulate nerve cells that are located in a person’s ear. An ear implant based on this technology would allow a deaf person to hear again. It would also allow for much better sound than current hearing implants provide.
Scientists are currently not quite sure how infrared light actually excites brain cells. They believe that it may have something to due with the increase in heat that comes along with the infrared light. Other types of electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves also have the ability to affect the functioning of the brain. Scientists still have a lot of research to perform to better understand this mechanism of brain stimulation. In the future, though, these new brain manipulation tools should increasingly find more and more use.
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About the Author:
Robert Webb has a blog that focuses on new neurotechnology methods of brain stimulation, brain-computer interfaces, neuroscience, brain emulation, altering consciousness and miscellaneous futurism at http://brainstimulant.blogspot.com.
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