Long-term safety and efficacy of intracortical microstimulation in humans.
Brain implants that restore touch sensation remain safe and functional for years, advancing hope for spinal cord injury patients.
ICMS of somatosensory cortex was safe over 2-10 years in 5 spinal cord injury patients (168M+ pulses, 27 combined implant-years, zero serious adverse events), with 64% of electrodes still reliably evoking tactile sensations. This record was retained from the prior triage attempt for PubMed pipeline handoff.
What the study was
- Study design
- early feasibility clinical trial (NCT01894802, n=5, 2-10 year follow-up)
- Category
- aging_longevity
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Sci Transl Med
Why it surfaced
Science Translational Medicine landmark long-term clinical trial (up to 10 years) demonstrating safety and sustained efficacy of intracortical microstimulation for sensory restoration in SCI—critical evidence for neural interface clinical translation.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.