Blind People Could Recognize Characters Drawn by Scientists Using Electricity on Their Brains

Scientists tried to coax the brains of people by sending patterns of electricity. According to the study published on May 14, this experiment was a success to non-blind and blind participants who had lost their vision in their adulthood.  Despite not being fully developed, there is potential in implanting devices in the brain to stimulate it which can result in the restoration of vision.

Visual prosthetics are what these implant devices are called. They were positioned on the visual cortex to trace shapes that the participants could recognize. Advanced models of these implants are similar to cochlear implants.

An expert explained that there are still a lot of hurdles before blind people can benefit from visual prosthetics. They are visualized to likely have a lot of electrodes. These electrodes may be created to permeate the cortex. As a result, the tips of the electrodes are nearer to the neurons.

Another advantage of placing them deep in the brain is that the brain can produce accurate phosphenes with weaker electrical fields compared to placing them on the brain’s surface. Strong electrical fields can cause overlapping or adjoining cells to be stimulated simultaneously.