Cortical neural prosthesis for restoration of vision
Neuroscientist Feng Wang demonstrates that we can help blind people by "drawing" images in their brains.
Millions of people are blind due to damage between the eye and the brain. Glasses offer no solution for them. The scientific problem is how we can "inject" visual information directly into the brain.
Wang's research question was whether we can generate recognizable patterns with a thousand electrodes, and whether this works for years. He proved that complex "pixel vision" is possible, but also discovered a "biological wall": scar tissue around hard sensors reduces the quality. This insight is crucial for the development of future, flexible materials that last a lifetime.
In his research, Wang demonstrates that we can help blind people by "drawing" images directly into their brains. Wang placed a thousand tiny needles (electrodes) in the brains of monkeys. By stimulating these with small currents, they saw dots of light, just like pixels on a screen. This allowed them to recognize letters and shapes without using their eyes.
Flexible materials
His main conclusion is that this works fantastically for recognizing images, but that the body protests after a few years. Scar tissue forms around the needles, causing the signal to fade. Wang and his colleagues have thus proven that the technology works, but that in the future we need softer, flexible materials that don't irritate the brain.
The findings show that a functional "brain implant for vision" is technically feasible. For the millions of people who are currently completely blind, this means a future in which they can once again navigate independently or read texts without being dependent on others.
Although the researchers have proven that we can "draw" complex images in the brain, the concrete application for the general patient is not expected for another 10 to 20 years. The current "biological wall" first requires new, flexible materials. A concrete example is a blind person who, thanks to the implant, can once again recognize traffic signs or see a grandchild's smile as a pattern of dots of light. This aligns with the current revolution in brain-computer interactions, as seen at companies like Neuralink.
Computer simulations
For this research, Wang combined advanced laboratory experiments with innovative computer simulations and clinical trials.
First, the scientists implanted a record number of 1,000 electrodes into the visual cortex of test subjects to investigate whether they could convert artificial points of light into recognizable images, such as letters. Parallel to this, Wang developed computer simulations and algorithms to filter out electrical "noise," which is essential for capturing clean brain signals during stimulation.
Finally, the researchers validated a new, automated system for visual field mapping in both monkeys and blind human volunteers. This multidisciplinary approach enabled them to accurately map both the technical operation and the long-term biological consequences of the brain implants.
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