TRANSPARENT ‘WINDOW INTO THE BRAIN’ LETS SOUND WAVES THROUGH THE SKULL

The words “hole in the head,” as in “[insert organization] needs another reorganization like a hole in the head” is a colorful way of describing something that there is absolutely no requirement for. But sometimes a hole in the head is necessary — and researchers from the U.S. and Mexico want to help deliver it. With that in mind, they invented a skull implant that serves as a literal window into the brain — with the goal of making ultrasound brain surgery easier.

This pioneering surgical technique has lots of potential for treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as being used to kill cancer cells, dissolve blood clots resulting from strokes, and even “jump starting” the brains of comatose people. However, the big challenge until now has been getting sound waves through the skull of subjects and into their brain. This is because the human skull is between 2 and 8mm in thickness and relatively dense, meaning that sound waves either reflect off it or are absorbed before they can reach the intended target.

This new study opens up new possibilities for neurosurgeons and their patients, since it facilitates optical and, now, ultrasonic access to the brain,” Guillermo Aguilar, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Riverside, told Digital Trends. “New materials of this kind may also find applications in different arenas.”

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/window-in-the-brain/