This brain implant helps people with neurological disorders use their phone

In December 2021, an ALS patient used an endovascular brain implant, built by two Australians to send a tweet using only their thoughts.

Professor Nicholas Opie

This brain implant, the Synchron Switch aims to help those with neurological disorders such as motor neuron disease (MND) and Parkinson’s disease be able to do certain tasks through a laptop or phone.

Professor Nicholas Opie, founding director at Synchron spoke to Digital Nation about how this neurotechnology has created new freedoms for those affected by neurological disorders.

The Synchron Switch is the size of a paperclip and is designed to record or stimulate the brain or nerves from within the blood vessels, the natural highways of the brain.

The device is inserted into a blood vessel within the motor cortex, an area of the brain that controls sensory and motor activity.

Ten years ago, Opie collaborated with a neurology colleague, Dr Thomas Oxley who was doing his medical training on interventional neurosurgery.

During that time, Opie was developing technology allowing people with blindness to have an implant that allowed them rudimentary vision. Oxley and Opie teamed up to create the Synchron Switch.

The Australian trial with the technology began in 2019 on four people with MND, according to Opie.

“All of them were able to use the system to control a mouse to use a computer. They were able to perform what's called instrumental activities of daily living. Things like online shopping, online banking, and they could write emails,” he said.

“After connecting them with their phone, they could text and communicate with their families, communities, carers and loved ones.”

Before this technology existed, Opie explained that to get to the brain you would have to remove some of the skull and put electrodes into the brain.

“If you've got wires coming out of the brain, there's infection risks. But that technology shows it works, and people have been able to control robotic arms, for example, or spelling machines on the computer with that technology,” he said.

“For us, the idea was already there, but how can we do it safely? How could we come up with a technique and technology that allowed you to do it in a day procedure where someone can go to the hospital, just like having a stroke, have the operation performed, and they leave straightaway?”

Opie said, “Using blood vessels as a naturally occurring pathway is a relatively easy and straightforward way of getting into the brain or getting under the skull, which blocks a lot of signals, they're doing it in a safe way.”

Following the success of several trials in Australia and the US, Opie said they are expanding the population group to those who have strokes, spinal cord injuries and other conditions that fall under the paralysis umbrella.

“There's about nine people today, and we've got more than 10 years of cumulative implant data where people have been using the system,” he added.

Everyone benefits

It is not only people with neurological disorders who are reaping benefits from this technology, but carers and family members too, Opie explained. 

“They're getting a lot more independence as well with this technology, they can have the freedom to not necessarily be in the same room as their loved ones or patients, knowing they're connected to phones or computers,” Opie explained.

“One of the biggest things we're seeing is the carer is having an easier, better time. There's a reduced burden of care on them. They're able to live their lives normally than perhaps they were before.”

Future plans

For the future, Opie said the company is focused on getting this product out to market.

“We've known for a long time that we've come from an academic world. We've seen the research and we've seen how important it is to have a vehicle that allows it to become commercial that can get to the people that need it, the doctors can prescribe it,” he said.

“We're very focused on doing the next stages of human testing and gathering more clinical evidence to support the commercial release of this product.”

While that is happening, Opie said they are aware of other neurological conditions that are treated using invasive electrode technology, for example, epilepsy, which could use the Synchron Switch.

“Epilepsy is a great example of that, there's evidence you can record when a seizure is about to happen. If you stimulate the electrodes in the right spot or stimulate the brain through electrodes in the right spot, then you can stop seizures from occurring,” he said.

“Where we need to go in the brain to do this, right near different blood vessels. For us, we're always developing new technology to look at different conditions. But it's certainly focused on making sure that this product for people with paralysis gets out as soon as we can.”