Medical Xpress December 8, 2025
In a new leap for neurobiology and bioelectronics, Northwestern University scientists have developed a wireless device that uses light to send information directly to the brain—bypassing the body’s natural sensory pathways.
The study, “Patterned wireless transcranial optogenetics generates artificial perception,” was published in Nature Neuroscience.
The soft, flexible device sits under the scalp but on top of the skull, where it delivers precise patterns of light through the bone to activate neurons across the cortex.
In experiments, scientists used the device’s tiny, patterned bursts of light to activate specific populations of neurons deep inside the brains of mouse models. (These neurons are genetically modified to respond to light.) The mice quickly learned to interpret these patterns as meaningful signals, which...
Today's Sponsors
Today's Sponsor