A brain implant could be the end of depression

Depression a global problem
4% of the total population
Psychology, psychiatry... and cutting-edge technology
Treatment with electrical impulses
An implant
First device implanted in 2022
One year follow up
An advanced stage of testing
Other companies that want to implant technology in the brain
Meron Gribetz: the founder of Inner Cosmos
Gribetz's past inspired the project
Depression and other disorders
Under the scalp
Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
15 minutes a day
A daily treatment
Digital monitoring
FDA clearance
A minimal implant
A qualitative leap
Promising, but we aren't there yet...
Depression a global problem

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), depression is one of the most widespread chronic diseases in the world. WHO describes depression as a complex ailment resulting from "a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors."

4% of the total population

Official data from WHO states that that depression affects more than 280 million people worldwide, which represents about 4% of the global population.

Psychology, psychiatry... and cutting-edge technology

Obviously, science has been working on the most effective ways to treat depression for decades, and at long last, it seems that a highly effective technological breakthrough may have been found.

Photo: Unsplash - Markus Winkler

Treatment with electrical impulses

Scientists have created a device implanted directly into the patient's brain, treating depression by using electrical impulses.

An implant

Inner Cosmos, a startup heading up the project, calls it "a digital pill for the mind."

Photo: Unsplash - Hal Gatewood

First device implanted in 2022

According to Business Insider, the first device with electrodes that "cures" depression was placed in the brain of a patient from Saint Louis, Missouri, in the United States, in the summer of 2022.

One year follow up

This test will continue for one year, and in 2023 another device will be tested on a new patient.

Photo: Unsplash - Gadiel Lazcano

An advanced stage of testing

Obviously, if the project is already being tested on humans, it means that the (very high) level of safety required by the US medical authorities has been exceeded and we are at a more than advanced stage.

Photo: Unsplash - Ben Blennerhassett

Other companies that want to implant technology in the brain

Inner Cosmos is not the only company working on implants to directly treat the brain. One of the best known in this field is Neuralink, but companies like Stentrode or Synchron also have very interesting projects.

Meron Gribetz: the founder of Inner Cosmos

The origin of Inner Cosmos is in the biography of Meron Gribetz, its founder. An entrepreneur who was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as a child, something that has inspired this project as an adult.

Gribetz's past inspired the project

According to Bloomberg, Gribetz endured  "a poor experience with prescription drugs that he says affected his social skills."

Depression and other disorders

“We believe that BCI has grown up. It’s matured to be able to treat a drug-resistant disease like depression," said Meron Gribetz in the presentation of the project, as published by Bloomberg.

Photo: Web Inner Cosmos

Under the scalp

This implant has an electrode that is attached under the skin of the scalp. Despite going under the skin, the implant is placed non-invasively in the area.

Photo: Unsplash - National Cancer Institute

Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

This device sends gentle electrical impulses to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain where depression has been found to originate.

15 minutes a day

These electrical impulses are performed once a day for about 15 minutes.

A daily treatment

It is about applying a kind of chronic treatment, a daily "medication" but in the form of electrical stimulation.

Digital monitoring

The so-called "digital pill" is used through an app that also offers graphs and readings of the patient's mood and provides continuous monitoring.

FDA clearance

The impact of the trial has been such that Inner Cosmos has received investigational device exemption approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin implanting the device in humans. Although there is still a long way to go to see if this mechanism is 100% effective.

Photo: Unsplash - National Cancer Institute

A minimal implant

Inner Cosmos has been the first technology company to use this type of implant directly in a person's skull for a treatment of this type. The goal is for the final implant they launch to be even smaller than the one in the human trials.

Photo: Unsplash - National Cancer Institute

A qualitative leap

If all goes well, the Inner Cosmos implant would mean a paradigm shift: treating mental health problems with hardware instead of the traditional method of psychology, psychiatry and drugs.

Photo: Unsplash - Volodymyr Hryshchenko

 

Promising, but we aren't there yet...

It sounds promising, although the goal has not yet been reached, we have yet to see what the trial results are. And for now, if you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of depression, you should consult a medical professional to receive conventional treatment.

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