The US Military is working on a tiny brain implant that would be used to help cure soldiers suffering from extreme cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
What might seem like science fiction could well be reality within five years with the University of Massachusetts and DARPA hoping to start human trials as soon as possible.
Using the technique known as Deep Brain Stimulation, the tiny chip would be inserted between the skull and the scalp and would then communicate with electrodes placed throughout the brain.
When the chip registers that something is wrong, minuscule electrical pulses are then applied to the affected areas restoring the patient’s brain to a healthy state.
The hope is that in the long run this could have a permanent effect on the soldier, effectively curing PTSD.
As with any technique that involves tampering with a person’s brain, researchers are remaining cautious. However the project’s principal investigator Emad Eskandar MD is confident that the technology will work for both soldiers and civilians.
“We’re strongly encouraged by the previous data connected with this approach, our hope is that this project will not only restore quality of life for those affected, both military and civilian, but dramatically change the way we approach the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.”
DARPA is advanced research arm of the US military and provides funding for hundreds of new projects including the creation of robots that can save lives to the future soldier program which is looking into new technologies to protect soldiers on the battlefield.