News Summary

Houston-based startup Motif Neurotech has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to begin human trials for its innovative brain implant designed to treat severe depression. The implant, which is blueberry-sized, sits in the skull and delivers electrical stimulation to the brain’s central executive network, a region associated with high-level cognitive functions. The device aims to help patients with treatment-resistant depression, a condition affecting nearly 3 million adults in the US who do not respond to traditional antidepressants. Unlike deep brain stimulation, Motif’s implant can be inserted during a 20-minute outpatient procedure without brain surgery. It utilizes wireless magnetoelectric technology developed at Rice University and is powered by a cap worn by the patient. The implant is part of a growing field of neurostimulation technology, which includes other companies like Neuralink and Synchron, aiming to use brain-computer interfaces for various therapeutic purposes. If successful, Motif’s technology could offer a more convenient and less risky alternative to existing treatments for depression.