Shattered Nerves: How Science Is Solving Modern Medicine's Most Perplexing Problem

by Victor D. Chase

Once the stuff of science fiction, neural prosthetics are now a reality. Research and technology are creating implants that enable the deaf to hear, the blind to see, and the paralyzed to move. Shattered Nerves takes us on a journey into a new medical frontier, where sophisticated, state-of-the-art medical devices repair and restore failed sensory and motor systems. In a compelling narrative that reveals the intimate relationship between technology and the physicians, scientists, and patients who bring it to life, Victor D. Chase explores groundbreaking developments in neural technology. Through personal interviews and extensive research, Chase introduces us to the people and devices that are restoring shattered lives, from implants that enable the paralyzed to stand, walk, feed, and groom themselves, to those that restore bladder and bowel control, and even sexual function. Signals from the brains of paralyzed people are captured and transformed to allow them to operate computers. Brain implants hold the potential to resolve psychiatric illnesses and to restore the ability to form memories in damaged brains. This timely and important book also explores troubling boundaries between restoration and enhancement, where implants could conceivably endow the able-bodied with superhuman capabilities. Chase concludes this fascinating book with a provocative Just because we can, does that mean we should?

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Allan Pomerantz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting review of the state of neural implants from 20 years ago

The book requires interest in the topic more than scientific knowledge. However, it is depressing to read ideas on where the field is going when we already know where it has gone.
We need a book like this released last year.

[Michael Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shattered Nerves: How Science Is Solving Modern Medicine’s Most Perplexing Problem by Victor D. Chase

Neural Prostheses

This is a book about neural prostheses. It is about both sensory an motor nerves. It is non-technical and full of human-interest stories, about both the scientists and the patients.

Cochlear Implants

One of the patients, Michael Pierschalla suffered from Cogan’s syndrome, a form of non-syphilitic interstitial keratitis. First he came down with tinnitus (ringing in the ears), followed by deafness and inflammation of the cornea. Michael received one of the early cochlear implants to deal with his deafness. His six-channel Ineraid implant was developed by Donald K. Eddington, of the University of Utah and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Michael helped the researchers improve the device by offering them accurate feedback (no pun intended) on the efficacy of various changes the researchers made.

Spinal Injury and Incontinence

Patients with spinal injury often suffer from loss of bladder and bowel control. In the non-injured person, nerves from the spine cause the bladder and bowel generally take turns emptying. Scientists developed a motor control neuroprosthesis, called the Vocare Bladder System to help such patients gain control of their bladder and bowels. In the United Kingdom, it is called the FineTech-Brindley Bladder Control System, after its developer, British physiologist Giles Brindley. It helps many patients substantially reduce their urinary incontinence.

Retinal Implants

Chase discusses the history of retinal implants. Common causes of blindness are macular degeneration, retinosa pigmentosum and diabetic retinopathy. Some of the technology originally developed for cochlear implants has been applied to retinal implants. The visual technology is still experimental and primitive. It is not routinely clinical, as are cochlear implants. Because the book was published in 2006, the retinal implants he discusses have only very low resolution.

Specialization

Development of neuroprosthetic devices has become specialized. Some groups work on microelectrode arrays only. One concern is finding the best metal for the electrodes, one that will not interact chemically with the tissues. Noble metals, metals that have low chemical reactivity, such as platinum and iridium, have been found to work well. In order to make the microelectrodes as small as possible, engineers have turned to photolithographic technologies, which have, of course, been widely used for manufacturing integrated circuits.

Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep brain electrical stimulation has been effective in helping Parkinson’s patients whose medications are no longer sufficient to control their symptoms. Parkinson’s patients often freeze when walking, for example, when turning, or when the surface they are walking on changes. They have trouble initiating movement.

Vagus Nerve Stimulator

Epilepsy patients have successfully been treated by a less invasive device called a vagus nerve stimulator.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent account of the wide-ranging field of neural prostheses. It could however be improved by having more science rather than little biographies of everyone involved in the field and by far the biggest improvement would be the inclusion of diagrams.

There are many points when it feels like a diagram could have replaced much of the text and better communicated the information. The lack of diagrams seems very strange. Still a good read though even if not perfect.