By Michaela Nesvarova
For decades, treating serious brain disorders often meant a difficult trade-off. Symptoms could be relieved, but usually at the cost of invasive surgery and implanted electrodes that remain in the body for life.
“Having wires in your body is not ideal,” said neuroscientist Mavi Sanchez-Vives, head of the Systems Neuroscience group at the IDIBAPS research institute in Barcelona, Spain. “Yet for many patients, it was the only option.”
This paradigm may now begin to change. Sanchez-Vives leads a three-year EU-funded research initiative called META-BRAIN, which runs until December 2026. The team is exploring new ways of interacting with the brain by combining nanotechnology, ultrasound and advanced brain monitoring.
Bringing together scientists and clinicians from leading research institutions across Europe, including Austria, Cyprus, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, the META-BRAIN team is developing wireless, minimally invasive ways to restore brain activity. They use nanotechnology to interact with neurons remotely – without permanent implants or open brain surgery.
An increasing neurological burden
Neurological disorders are one of the biggest health challenges of our time leading cause of disease and disability worldwide. Only in Europe, 165 million people suffer from the effects of brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, depression, anxiety and traumatic brain injury.
We need approaches that are both non-invasive and capable of targeting any part of the brain.
“These disorders are based on neural pathologies and are often associated with changes in brain rhythms and activity patterns,” explained Sanchez-Vives.
Available treatments remain limited. Drug treatments do not work for all patients and can cause significant side effects. Surgical approaches, such as deep brain stimulation, require electrodes to be implanted deep into the brain to block or modulate faulty signals.
“Some patients live with these implants for decades,” Sanchez-Vives said. “But they come with risks and complications. We need better options.”
Wireless interaction with the brain
To address this need, the META-BRAIN research team is investigating minimally invasive ways to control neural activity remotely and precisely.
“The main goal is to explore new forms of wireless interaction with the brain,” he said. “We want to achieve high-precision control using nanotechnology as an interface.”
While non-invasive methods of brain stimulation already exist, they have significant limitations. Some lack the ability to precisely target specific areas of the brain, while others cannot reach deeper structures.
“That’s why we need approaches that are both non-invasive and able to target any part of the brain,” said Sanchez-Vives.
To do this, the researchers are exploring two different but complementary ideas. One uses carefully focused ultrasound waves to stimulate the brain outside the body. The other is based on nanoparticles that can be guided and activated using magnetic fields, referred to as magnetoelectric nanoparticles.
Tiny particles that act as wireless electrodes
Magnetoelectric nanoparticles have emerged as a promising avenue, said Marta Parazzini, director of research at Italy’s National Research Council (CNR) Institute of Electronics, Information Technology and Telecommunications in Milan.
Simply put, magnetoelectric nanoparticles – many times smaller than the width of a human hair – convert magnetic signals into electrical ones, the same type of signals that neurons use to communicate. When exposed to an external magnetic field, they create a local electric field, effectively acting as wireless electrodes.
“They can be injected without surgery and controlled remotely using magnetic fields,” Parazzini said. “Because they are so small, their application can be extremely precise.”
Laboratory experiments have already shown that these nanoparticles can be activated in a controlled manner using external magnetic fields. Importantly, they are capable of both stimulating and inhibiting neural activity.
“This gives us a lot of therapeutic potential,” Parazzini said. “It allows us to modulate brain excitability rather than simply turning neurons on or off.”
Brain treatment without surgery
In the long term, researchers envision applications that could fundamentally change the way neurological injuries and disorders are treated.
For example, after a serious accident, a patient with a traumatic brain injury could be taken to the hospital and undergo detailed brain imaging. Based on this scan, clinicians could inject magnetoelectric nanoparticles directly into affected areas, in amounts tailored to the individual patient.
“These decisions could be guided by personalized computational models of the brain,” Parazzini said.
This method would be much safer, faster and less invasive.
Once in place, the nanoparticles could be activated externally, for example, using a helmet-like device to restore healthy activity patterns and direct damaged tissue back to normal physiological function.
“The idea is to intervene immediately, without opening the skull or implanting material,” Parazzini said.
“We could treat the injury immediately and possibly even avoid surgery. This method would be much safer, faster and less invasive. That’s the dream.”
From the lab to life-changing applications
So far, the META-BRAIN team has performed extensive experiments on brain tissue and is now moving toward in vivo studies in rodents. Human trials will not take place as part of the project, although the researchers plan to run computer simulations using a human brain phantom, a highly detailed three-dimensional model of the brain.
If successful, the technology could eventually lead to more effective treatments for a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. Parkinson’s patients might regain smoother movement, epilepsy patients could achieve better seizure control, and people with complex psychiatric disorders could benefit from more targeted treatments.
Beyond therapy, technology can also help restore or compensate for lost sensations. In cases where sensory pathways are damaged, magnetoelectric interfaces could one day help replace or bypass damaged connections – potentially offering new options for some forms of blindness or other sensory loss.
Uncharted territory
Despite the promise, the researchers want to stress that the work is still in its early stages.
“It will be a long process before this technology reaches patients,” said Sanchez-Vives. “We must first thoroughly understand how these particles behave in the brain and how to control them safely and effectively.”
However, the potential is undeniable.
“It’s exciting to see that such small particles can have such a big impact on neurons,” he said. “We’re exploring entirely new territory – but one that could ultimately change the way we treat brain disorders.”
The research in this article was funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC). The views of respondents do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it on social media.
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This article was originally published on Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine with Creative Commons reference
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