Preliminary results coming from DARPA’s www.darpa.mil program called “Systems-Based Neurotechnologies for Emerging Therapies” (SUBNETS) helps patients with PTSD and other neuropsychiatric conditions.
Despite the continued effort of the Departments of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to protect the health of U.S service members and veterans, the effects of neuropsychological illness brought on by war, traumatic injuries, and other experiences remain challenging to treat.
Current approaches such as surgery, medications, and psychotherapy can help to alleviate the worst effects of illnesses such as depression and post-traumatic stress, but these treatments are imprecise and not universally effective. The goal is for SUBNETS to produce precise neurotechnological therapy
The SUBNETS program is distinct from current therapeutic approaches since the program is trying to create an implanted, closed-loop diagnostic and therapeutic system for treating and possibly even curing neuropsychological illnesses. SUBNETS is working with volunteers and looking for ways to help the volunteers find safe and effective therapeutic treatments.
Just one year into the SUBNETS effort, engineers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory www.llnl.gov and Draper Laboratory www.draper.com were able to produce customized electrode arrays and miniaturized neural interface hardware.
In doing clinical tests on some of the new technologies, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco www.ucsf.edu, recently placed arrays on the brains of seven patients and then provided electrical impulses to a specific neuronal region. The clinical tests showed that the patients’ anxiety levels were reduced.
The program plan calls for research to be conducted according to scheduled milestones. The plan is to conduct technology demonstrations and then submit developed devices for approval to FDA.
According to Justin Sanchez, Program Manager, “As the technology of these fully implantable devices improves and as we learn more about how to stimulate the brain more precisely to achieve the most therapeutic effects, I believe we are going to gain a critical capacity to help our wounded warriors and others who today suffer from intractable neurological problems.”
Go to www.darpa.mil/program/systems-based-neurotechnology-for=emerging-therapies for more information on SUBNETS.