Electronic Medicine Fights Disease
Stimulation of the nervous system could replace drugs for inflammatory and autoimmune conditions
Bryan Christie
In Brief
- Exposure to heat, pressure, light or chemicals sets in motion a process to ensure that bodily organs do not overreact to these stresses.
- Nerve signals that link the brain and the rest of the body inhibit the making of immune molecules that cause inflammation.
- Electrical stimulation of neural pathways with an implanted medical device may assist the body in suppressing inflammation.
- Bioelectronic medicine is the name of the new discipline that uses electrical stimulation to treat inflammation and other disorders.
![An Electrical Off-Switch for Disease [Video]](http://www.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/2C2FEC99-A993-4DC5-853C49865FF9D747_small.jpg)
I am a brain surgeon who is fascinated by inflammation. Along with my laboratory colleagues, I examine molecules that cause inflammation so that we can discover methods for alleviating the pain, swelling and tissue damage that is a consequence of many diseases.
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