Optogenetics uses light-sensitive proteins to switch individual neurons on and off with millisecond precision — and it's moving from animal research into human clinical trials.
UC Berkeley's neural dust — ultrasonic wireless sensors smaller than 1mm — can record nerve signals from deep tissue without batteries, wires, or skin penetration.
Next-generation deep brain stimulation systems now combine sensing and stimulation in the same device, enabling adaptive algorithms that respond to the patient's actual neural state in real time.
A printed bioelectronic skin patch the thickness of a bandage can simultaneously record ECG, EMG, and skin temperature — opening new possibilities for ambulatory cardiac monitoring.
Once a footnote in anatomy textbooks, the vagus nerve is now FDA-approved territory for epilepsy, depression, and stroke recovery — and a new generation of bioelectronic implants is taking aim at autoimmune disease, migraine, and the gut-brain axis.