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People with chronic problems after falls and car crashes scored better on cognition tests after getting a brain implant, a new study found.
Traumatic brain injuries have left more than five million Americans permanently disabled. They have trouble focusing on even simple tasks and often have to quit jobs or drop out of school.
A study published on Monday has offered them a glimpse of hope. Five people with moderate to severe brain injuries had electrodes implanted in their heads. As the electrodes stimulated their brains, their performance on cognitive tests improved.
If the results hold up in larger clinical trials, the implants could become the first effective therapy for chronic brain injuries, the researchers said.
“This is the first evidence that you can move the dial for this problem,” said Dr. Nicholas Schiff, a neurologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York who led the study.