Brain implant will be trialled by NHS to help treat neural conditions

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust will trial a whole-brain computer interface to modulate brain-wide activity.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust will trial a whole-brain computer interface that uses ultrasound to measure and modulate brain-wide activity.

The ultrasonic neural interface, developed by US-based non-profit Forest Neurotech, could be used to treat conditions like depression, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A study to investigate the safety and tolerability of the Forest 1 device will run for three and a half years, starting from March 2025, funded by the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) as part of its Precision Neurotechnologies programme.

Aimun Jamjoom, consultant neurosurgeon within the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The ARIA award presents an extraordinary opportunity to advance our work on developing ultrasound neurotechnology for whole-brain imaging and modulation.

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