1. A Pacemaker For Your Brain
By:
Ryan Buckley

2. What is a Pacemaker For The Brain?
Similar to a heart pacemakers
Implanted in chest
Electrical stimulation to maintain rhythm in the heart
Brain pacemakers:
Electrode permanently implanted in brain
Used to maintain neural equilibrium
Electric pulses

3. Problems Being Solved
Already proven to help treat/prevent certain diseases or ailments
Parkinson’s Disease
Depression
Epilepsy
Anorexia
The pacemaker effectively reorganizes the brains impulses

4. How Are They Inserted? Neurosurgeon drills a dime-sized hole in skull
An electrode is then inserted 4 inches into the brain
A wire then runs under the skin to a battery
The battery is implanted in the chest, either underneath the collarbone or even abdomen

6. Methods
Medical devices are surgically implanted into specific parts of the body
Depending on the disorder, the location of the electrodes vary
Non-Parkinsonian essential tremor – thalamus
Dystonia – globus pallidus internus
OCD – Nucleus Accumbens
A remote then controls the electric pulses sent by pacemaker

7. Limitations Surgery Cost ($30,000 - $50,000) Recovery time in patients
Minimum of 5 hours
Anything can happen
Cost ($30,000 - $50,000)
Recovery time in patients
Possibility that devices/wires may malfunction

8. Future Smaller medical equipment Cheaper cost of surgery
Electrodes
Pacemaker
Cheaper cost of surgery
More efficient ways to locate afflicted part of brain
A permanent fix for brain electrical signals?

9. References
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "First brain pacemaker implanted to treat Alzheimer's." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 January <
Wikipedia: Brain Pacemaker <
Wikipedia: Deep Brain Stimulation <
Loyola University Health System. "'Brain pacemaker' effective for years against Parkinson's disease." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 June <
Price, Michael. "SCIENCE W A TCH: A Pacemaker for Y our Brain?" N.p., n.d. Web.
News, CBC. "Brain 'pacemakers' Promising for Anorexia Treatment." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 07 Mar Web. 21 Sept
"Brain Pacemakers | MIT Technology Review." MIT Technology Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept
"First Brain Pacemaker Implanted to Treat Alzheimer's." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 21 Sept