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Could brain chips treat PTSD? US military says future implants will boost memory and eradicate stress in soldiers

Chips will come in the form of wireless neuroprosthetic brain implants
Scientists are working on understanding how brains encode memories
They want to create computer models that mimic a functioning brain
Will lead to chips that trigger brain activity if neurons are damaged

Published: 20:57 EST, 18 November 2015 | Updated: 21:03 EST, 18 November 2015

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About 2.7 million Americans served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and at least 20 per cent of them have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (Darpa) says it can reduce this number by treating war veterans using chip implants.

Researchers at the organisation say wireless 'neuroprosthetic' brain implants will also help restore memory functions and heal traumatic brain injuries.

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The US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (Darpa) is working on chip implants to restore memory functions and heal traumatic brain injuries. The agency is getting closer to perfecting wireless 'neuroprosthetic' brain implants that will help with trauma and improve memory

PTSD FACTS

Thirty per cent of soldiers develop mental problems within 3 to 4 months of being home.

An estimated 20 per cent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans turn to heavy drinking or drugs once they return to the US.

In 2010, an average of 22 veterans committed suicide every day. The group with the highest number of suicides was men ages 50 to 59.

Four out of five Vietnam Veterans reported recent symptoms when interviewed 20-25 years after the war.

The work is part of the Restoring Active Memory project (Ram), one of Darpa's many 'brain' projects.

To create the chips, researchers say figuring out the puzzle of how the brain encodes memories is the first step.

Once the pieces are put in order, scientists will be able to create computer models that mimic a functioning brain.

The end result will hopefully be implanted devices that trigger those processes if neurons, or other connections between, are damaged.

Scientists have already tested these implants in individuals suffering from brain injuries to improve their memory, the defense agency announced at a conference in September.

Darpa said it had implanted temporary sensors into patients undergoing brain surgery that were able to detect signals in the brains during the process of forming and recalling memories.

To create the chips, researchers say figuring out the puzzle of how the brain encodes memories is the first step. Once the pieces are put in order, scientists will be able to create computer models that mimic a functioning brain

The agency hopes to one day develop a permanent, 'closed loop' system that can actually help with recall memories.

'As the technology of these fully implantable devices improves, and as we learn more about how to stimulate the brain ever more precisely to achieve the most therapeutic effects,' Justin Sanchez, Darpa's biological technologies program manager, said in a recent interview.

'I believe we are going to gain a critical capacity to help our wounded warriors and others who today suffer from intractable neurological problems.'

Another brain-improvement project in the works is Subnets, which draws from almost a decade of research in treating disorders such as Parkinson's disease via a technique called deep brain stimulation.

Darpa, with the assistance of $12 million, is digging deep into the brain's soft tissue to record, predict and possibly treat anxiety, depression and other ailments of the mood and mind.

Scientists have already tested these implants in individuals suffering from brain injuries to improve memory

Specialists from the University of California at San Francisco, Lawrence Livermore National Lab and Medtronic will use the money to create a cybernetic implant with electrodes extending into the brain.

The military hopes to have a prototype within 5 years and then plans to gain FDA approval.

'Darpa is looking for ways to characterize which regions come into play for different conditions – measured from brain networks down to the single neuron level – and develop therapeutic devices that can record activity, deliver targeted stimulation, and most importantly, automatically adjust therapy as the brain itself changes,' Sanchez said.

This device would record what happens when an individual becomes anxious and/or depressed, and could possibly be treated remotely through the device that pushes the brain to establish new circuits outside of the traumatized region.

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