Brain implants to treat epilepsy, arthritis, or even incontinence? They may be closer than you think
Startups around the world are engaging in clinical trials in a sector that could
change lives – and be worth more than £15bn by the 2030s
Oran Knowlson, a British teenager with a severe type of epilepsy called
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, became the first person in the world to trial a new
brain implant last October, with phenomenal results – his daytime seizures were
reduced by 80%.
“It’s had a huge impact on his life and has prevented him from having the falls
and injuring himself that he was having before,” says Martin Tisdall, a
consultant paediatric neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) in
London, who implanted the device. “His mother was talking about how he’s had
such a improvement in his quality of life, but also in his cognition: he’s more
alert and more engaged.”
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