Today, millions of Americans live with the long-term complications of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This injury impacts crucial cognitive abilities, with patients experiencing difficulty focusing and making decisions.
However, a clinical trial has shown that deep brain implants may alleviate these impairments. With the recent findings, TBI patients may have a chance to improve their quality of life.
How brain implants may address cognitive impairments
For the study, researchers surgically implanted a stimulation device in the brains of five participants who had lasting cognitive impairments due to TBI. The subjects spent 90 days with the device active for roughly 12 hours a day.
To test their progress, patients completed a mental processing speed test. This test involved drawing lines connecting a mix of letters and numbers and assessing the participants’ ability to concentrate and plan.
By the end of the trial period, the patients improved their speeds on the test by 32%. However, the changes were also apparent outside of the standard assessment. The subjects demonstrated improvements in activities that had seemed impossible for them before the trial began.
Some patients were reading books, playing video games and watching TV shows. Moreover, they felt less tired after completing tasks and could even get through the day without a nap.
Turning the lights back up for TBI patients
The co-senior author of the study drew a poignant analogy, comparing the cognitive impairments suffered by TBI patients to “dimming lights.” While those affected demonstrated impairments, the brain systems crucial to cognitive functioning remained intact.
However, while the pathways were preserved, everything has been “down-regulated, ” much like how the lights in a room dim when there is not enough electricity. With this trial, researchers discovered how precise electrical stimulation could reactivate these channels and turn the lights back up for them.