From Bioelectronics to Nanobioelectronics: The Biomedical Electronics Translational Research Center [Highlights]

Discusses the an evolving theraphy called electrical neuromodulation. This new therapy offers targeted delivery of constant voltage stimulation or constant current stimulation (CCS) to specific neurological sites to enable the alteration of nerve activities. It can influence nerves by releasing transmitters, such as dopamine, and other chemical messengers, including peptides, that can modulate the excitatory and inhibitory functions of neural circuits. The end effect is the normalization of a neural network function from its perturbed state. The presumed mechanisms of electrical neuromodulation could include a depolarizing blockade, the stochastic normalization of neural firing, an axonal blockade, the reduction of neural firing keratosis, and the suppression of neural network oscillations [1]. Although the exact mechanisms of electrical neuromodulation are not known, the procedure’s empirical effectiveness has led to numerous clinical applications.