A new ‘brain pacemaker’ offers hope to people with dementia

Scientists have developed an electrical brain implant which could help restore memory in Alzheimer’s and those living with dementia.

It’s been ten years in development but now researchers in the US have created the world’s first prosthetic brain implant, which has the potential to stop short term memories from being forgotten.

The implant could help many people who suffer from memory loss – including injured soldiers and epileptics as well as those with dementia – to recall events from the recent past, which can become particularly difficult for people with dementia.

The technology works by bypassing the damaged area of the brain and decoding the meaning of a memory from its electrical signal.

‘It’s like being able to translate from Spanish to French without being able to understand either language,’ explains Ted Berger who led the two research teams at the University of Southern California and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre in North Carolina.

Although the implant was initially developed as a way to help injured soldiers recover from memory loss, it has the potential, say researchers, to assist in the treatment of neuro-degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

Testing continues.