Transparent skull implant provides 'window to the brain'

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics Article Date: 04 Sep 2013 - 8:00 PDT

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Scientists have created a novel transparent skull implant, which may give neurosurgeons a "window to the brain," according to a study published in the journal Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, say they hope the implant will lead to new treatment strategies for those with life-threatening neurological disorders, such as traumatic brain injury and brain cancer.

At present, the majority of neurological procedures involve craniectomies. A craniectomy is a neurosurgical procedure where a part of the skull is removed to give swelling in the brain room to expand.

Laser-based treatments have shown promise for many brain disorders in the past, but most medical lasers are unable to penetrate through the skull. Therefore, the scientists hope this novel implant will take laser-based neurological treatments to the next level.

The team created the implant using ceramic material that is currently used in dental crowns and hip implants, called yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ).

Although this material is traditionally opaque, the scientists used a process called CAPAD - a technique that reduces the porosity of the material to "nanometric dimensions," and in turn reduces the "optical scattering" that causes YSZ to be opaque.

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Transparent skull implant provides 'window to the brain'