Article: Scientists Enable Blind Woman To See Simple Shapes Using Brain Implant
Source: University of Utah Health
Article: Moran Eye Center, Spanish Researchers Successfully Test Artificial Vision for the Blind
Source: University of Utah Health
Article: Scientists enable a blind woman to see simple shapes using a brain implant
Source: Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (Netherlands)
Published: October 20, 2021
The Moran|Cortivis Prosthesis is a visual prosthesis that combines a small brain implant with a specialized eyeglass-mounted video camera, which captures images to send to the implant. The implant itself, called the Utah Electrode Array (UEA), is a 4x4 mm microelectrode array composed of 96 microneedles, each 1.5 mm in length, which penetrate the surface of visual cortex to both record and stimulate the electrical activity of neurons. Eyeglasses equipped with a miniature video camera and specialized software encode the visual information collected by the camera and send it to the electrodes to produce a
simple form of vision through phosphenes, or flashes of light. Depending on the strength of the stimulation, the phosphenes could be
brighter or more faded, a white color or a sepia tone. Depending on the spatial arrangement (e.g., the distance between stimulated electrodes), the phosphenes could be perceived as rounded or elongated. Simultaneously stimulating multiple electrodes produced easier perception. This proof-of-concept has been tested for the first time in the visual cortex of Berna Gómez, a 60-year-old volunteer in Elche, Spain, who at the
time of the study had been completely blind for 16 years due to an
incidence of
toxic optic neuropathy. With the prosthesis, Gómez was able to identify the edges of simple high-contrast shapes and perceive
simple letters (specifically I, L, C, V, and O) evoked by different patterns of
stimulation (up to 16 electrodes). At the end of the 6-month trial, the device was surgically removed, and
the researchers report no complications following its removal, nor observed any impairment to the function of neurons in close proximity
to the electrodes or to the function of the underlying cortex. The researchers estimate that between 7 and 10 UEAs (roughly 700 electrodes) could provide enough
information to give a blind person a level of useful mobility, though
further studies are needed to determine how long the implants are
effective and can safely remain in the brain. A
clinical trial of the device involving up to four other participants is scheduled to continue into 2024. In the next set of experiments, the researchers will use a more sophisticated image encoder
system capable of stimulating more electrodes simultaneously to
elicit more complex visual images.
This project furthers what the researchers say is a "long-held dream of scientists," to
impart a rudimentary form of sight to blind people by sending
information directly to the brain's visual cortex. In doing so, they hope to confer a greater degree of mobility, independence, and safety to people who are blind. One of the senior investigators states, “[A]lthough these preliminary results are very encouraging, we should be
aware that there are still a number of important unanswered questions
and that many problems have to be solved before a cortical visual
prosthesis can be considered a viable clinical therapy.” For her clinically precise feedback and importance to the research, the subject and former science teacher is listed as a co-author of the study.
My rating of this study:
⭐⭐⭐⭐Fernández E, Alfaro A, Soto-Sánchez C, et al. "Visual percepts evoked with an intracortical 96-channel microelectrode array inserted in human occipital cortex."
Journal of Clinical Investigation. 131(23):e151331. 19 October 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI151331
Additional reference articles:
Article: Scientists used a tiny brain implant to help a blind teacher see letters again
Source:
NPR Published: October 23, 2021
Article: Prosthetic Device Partially Restores Blind Biology Teacher’s Vision
Source:
The Scientist Published: October 26, 2021
Article: Brain Implant Gives Blind Woman Artificial Vision in Scientific First
Source:
ScienceAlert Published: October 28, 2021
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