Adaptation of pacemaker technology has led to major advances in neurodevice development, allowing for stimulation of discrete brain areas and nerves for the treatment of Parkinson’s, essential tremor, epilepsy, and even obsessive–compulsive disorder. Novel device platforms for neuromodulation will allow for less invasive and more responsive therapies in the future.

Optogenetics, for example, is an emerging field combining optics and genetics to probe neural circuits on the millisecond time scale. In early development, delivery of genes tied to cell-specific promoters has been used to make certain neurons light sensitive. Then highly targeted light-emitting hardware such as fiberoptics is used to activate or deactivate that specific cell type. One startup in this area is developing an optogenetic neuromodulation system that may one day enable the blind to see. Leveraging this technology will yield entirely new levels of control over specific cell types in the brain, making it possible to treat illnesses that emerge as a result of malfunctioning neuronal circuits. Another exciting example of the future of neurodevice development relates to the development of conducting polymer nanowires, which will make it possible to monitor and modulate individual brain cells. The wires can be threaded through the circulatory system into the brain, without the need for invasive brain surgery. They do not block normal blood flow or interfere with the exchange of gases and nutrients through the blood vessel walls.

Looking forward, it will be possible to connect an entire array of nanowires to a catheter tube that could then be guided through the circulatory system into the brain. Once there, the wires would branch out into tinier blood vessels until they reached specific locations. Each nanowire would then be used to record the electrical activity of a single nerve cell or small groups of them. Nanowire sensors could greatly improve doctors’ ability to pinpoint damage from injury and stroke, localize the epileptogenic zone(s) of seizures, and detect the presence of tumors and other brain abnormalities. Beyond that, nanowires that could deliver electrical impulses have the potential to transform the entire field of neuromodulation, dramatically expanding the potential scope of treatable conditions. (more in the Neurotech Industry 2009 Report)