[Explanation] Recently, in a live broadcast, well-known American entrepreneur Elon Musk showed a pig with a brain implanted in a brain-computer interface device, which caused heated discussions among netizens.
Can devices such as chips and electrodes be implanted in the human brain?
In fact, in the medical field, the technology of implanting electrodes into the brain of patients has long been used.
[Concurrent] Luan Guoming, Chairman of the Neuromodulation Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, Director of the Function and Epilepsy Center, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University
The brain-computer interface is simply to use different electrodes to contact the cortex of the brain to read its information and use it in life.
The simplest is in medicine. For example, we insert electrodes into the brain and record EEG; when we treat Parkinson's, we insert electrodes into different nuclei of the brain to treat tremor and stiffness.
[Explanation] According to reports, the most common application of brain-computer interfaces in the medical field is the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Although Parkinson's disease can be controlled by drugs in the early stage, after the disease progresses to the middle and late stages, the drug effect will gradually decline. Therefore, the patient's brain needs to be further treated by surgically implanting electrode chips.
[Concurrent] Guan Yuguang, Director of Functional Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University
It is to put two electrode chips from this forehead on a fixed nucleus position in the brain, and then put a battery on the chest. We are called a pulse generator and give him a continuous stimulation of a micro current, which stimulates the nucleus and subthalamic nucleus through a magnetic field. , Improve the overall movement symptoms.
[Concurrent] Patients
(Do you feel anything during the operation?) Nothing.
(How many days has it been put in?) 13 days have passed.
(How do you feel during these 13 days? Is there any impact on your daily life?) No.
It is much stronger than before after booting up.
[Explanation] Guan Yuguang said that brain-computer interface therapy for Parkinson's disease entered China in 1998. After more than 20 years of development, it is now a very mature technology with high safety and accuracy.
[Concurrent] Guan Yuguang, Director of Functional Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University
The most advanced robots can reach an error rate of less than 0.5 mm.
The current implant materials are very good. Some materials that can be implanted in the body can be used for decades without problems. The compatibility with the body is very good.
[Explanation] Luan Guoming believes that, compared with the current brain-computer interface technology applied to Parkinson's disease, Musk has expanded the application range of this technology and is more advanced in brain signal acquisition technology.
In the future, brain-computer interfaces may also have wider applications in the medical field.
[Concurrent] Luan Guoming, Chairman of the Neuromodulation Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctors Association, Director of the Function and Epilepsy Center, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University
You seem to have some patients whose brains are injured, unconscious, and amnesia. Then can we re-establish the brain network by implanting chips, so that they can restore their memory, so that we can better treat and improve our recognition The functions of knowledge and memory will all be solved through brain-computer interfaces in the future.
Wen Mengxin reports from Beijing
Editor in charge: [Lu Yan]