Pain relief chip 'to help those with spinal injury'RSS Feed

Spinal injury patients could be helped by a smart chip designed to measure and stop pain signals from the brain.

The device, soon to be tested on humans, is able to measure the properties of nerves transferring pain signals to the brain and blocks these signals with 10-volt electric pulses, deceiving the brain into thinking there is no pain.

This smart chip, developed by National ICT Australia, is put into a biocompactible device which is just smaller than the head of a match.

A few of the devices are then sewn into a wire constructed of polymer yarn and electronic wiring and inserted into the spine, powered by a wireless battery and computer processor.

The tiny size of the device is said to make it much more efficient than other devices at treating chronic pain.

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have reported that a new cell harvesting technique involving isolating stem calls capable of renewing and transforming, could boost spinal injury treatment.

Serious Law, leading spinal cord injury solicitors

Posted by Timothy Walters
 

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