Transparent Skull Implant to Reveal Causes of Brain Disorders to Scientists

Researchers at the University of Minnesota (USA) have developed a See-Shell skull implant. The device is completely transparent: it will help scientists to monitor human brain in action and reveal the causes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

The implant’s transparent shell was created using 3D printing technology. The See-Shell developers claim that the device will help them to literally look into a patient’s head and watch the progress of the disease. Such an experiment will help not only to establish the causes of various diseases, but also to find effective treatment methods for them.

The implant has already been tested on laboratory mice. To make the prostheses, scientists had to scan rodents’ skulls. The resulting three-dimensional models were printed out. According to the study authors, the prostheses implantation went very well without any rejections. The scientists consistently watch rodents’ brain activity trying to establish interconnections among various processes.