Brain implants have been here for a very long time. Doctors and researchers even use them for treatments for neurological issues like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease and even for behaviour corrections using selective simulations. However, the problem with existing implants is that they use meal electrodes, which result in Faradaic reactions, where the electrode reacts with bodily fluids such as cerebral fluid, which will act like an electrolyte and develop deposits on the electrode surface over time. Inbrain Neuroelectronics a Barcelona-based startup has come up with a solution for this. Instead of using metals, they have successfully created brain implants made of graphene. Unlike metal electrodes, graphane-based electrodes are more resilient to such electrochemical reactions and will last longer without any issues.
Not only that these implants can also be used for brain-computer interfaces or BCI which can be used for medical diagnostics, as communication devices for people who can’t speak, and to control external equipment, including robotic limbs. Inbrain is aiming to use its creation as a therapeutic tool for patients with neurological issues such as Parkinson’s disease. The graphane-based solution can inject 200 times as much charge without creating a Faradic reaction. They can be used for stimulation and reading the electrical signals from the brain. Inbrain Neuroelectronics is planning to do its first test on human subjects at the University of Manchester very soon, where it will serve as an interface during the resection of a brain tumour.
