For years, managing serious brain disorders often required a challenging compromise. While symptoms could be alleviated, it usually involved invasive surgery and lifelong implanted electrodes.
“Having wires in your body isn’t ideal,” stated neuroscientist Mavi Sanchez-Vives, leader of the Systems Neuroscience group at the IDIBAPS research institute in Barcelona, Spain. “Yet for many patients, it has been the only option.”
A change in this approach could be underway. Sanchez-Vives is spearheading a three-year EU-funded research project called META-BRAIN, running until December 2026. The group is investigating innovative ways to interface with the brain by combining nanotechnology, ultrasound, and advanced brain monitoring.
Bringing together experts from leading research institutions across Europe, including Austria, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, the META-BRAIN team is creating wireless, minimally invasive methods to restore brain activity. They employ nanotechnology to engage with neurons remotely, avoiding permanent implants and open brain surgery.
A growing neurological burden
Neurological disorders represent a major health challenge and lead globally in illness and disability. In Europe, 165 million people experience brain disorders like Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, depression, anxiety, and traumatic brain injury.
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We need approaches that are both non-invasive and capable of targeting any part of the brain.
“These disorders stem from neural pathologies, often linked to disruptions in brain rhythms and activity,” Sanchez-Vives explained.
Treatment options are limited. Drug therapies aren’t effective for all patients and may cause significant side effects. Surgical methods, such as deep brain stimulation, involve implanting electrodes deep in the brain to control faulty signals.
“Some patients live with these implants for decades,” Sanchez-Vives noted. “But they pose risks and complications. We need better alternatives.”
Wireless interaction with the brain
The META-BRAIN research team is investigating minimally invasive ways to remotely and accurately control neural activity.
“The main objective is to explore new forms of wireless interaction with the brain,” she stated. “We aim for high-precision control using nanotechnology as an interface.”
While non-invasive brain stimulation methods exist, they have significant limitations. Some cannot precisely target particular brain regions, while others cannot reach deeper structures.
“That’s why we need approaches that can target any part of the brain non-invasively,” Sanchez-Vives explained.
Researchers are exploring two complementary concepts. One uses precisely focused ultrasound waves for brain stimulation from outside the body. The other employs magnetoelectric nanoparticles that can be directed and activated via magnetic fields.
Tiny particles acting as wireless electrodes
Magnetoelectric nanoparticles offer promising potential, according to Marta Parazzini, director of research at the Institute of Electronics, Information Engineering, and Telecommunications of Italy’s National Research Council (CNR) in Milan.
In essence, magnetoelectric nanoparticles, much smaller than a human hair, convert magnetic signals into electrical ones, the same type neurons use to communicate. When subject to an external magnetic field, they create a local electric field, functioning like wireless electrodes.
“They can be injected without surgery and controlled remotely using magnetic fields,” Parazzini explained. “Because of their small size, their application can be highly precise.”
Lab experiments have shown these nanoparticles can be activated in a controlled manner using external magnetic fields. Importantly, they can both stimulate and inhibit neural activity.
“This opens up numerous therapeutic possibilities,” Parazzini said. “We can fine-tune brain stimulation rather than just turning neurons on
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