A Pacemaker for Your Brain
Saturday, February 21st, 2009
The FDA just approved (under the humanitarian device exception) a deep brain stimulation implant to help control treatment-resistive obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The device is aptly called Reclaim and was developed by Medtronic. According to an FDA press release:
“The Reclaim system uses a small electrical generator known as a pulse generator to create electrical stimulation that blocks abnormal nerve signals in the brain. This small battery-powered device is implanted near the abdomen or the collar bone and connected to four electrodes implanted in the brain through an insulated electric wire known as the lead. Two device systems may be implanted to stimulate both sides of the brain or one device may be implanted with two lead outputs. ”
Not offered as a cure or even as a substitute for medication it is still a good example of how we are using insights from cognitive science to design new artifacts – in this case a therapy. Additional applications (e.g. depression) are now in clinical trials.
