AI and fibers peer into brains

Researchers have developed a device that can simultaneously measure six markers of brain health. The sensor, which is inserted through the skull into the brain, can pull off this feat thanks to an artificial intelligence system that pieces apart the six signals in real time ( ACS Sens. 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c02126 ). Being able to continuously monitor biomarkers in patients with traumatic brain injury could improve outcomes by catching swelling or bleeding early enough for doctors to intervene. But most existing devices measure just one marker at a time. They also tend to be made with metal, so they can’t easily be used in combination with magnetic resonance imaging. The new device is just 2.5 mm across and relies on metal-free fiber optics to measure physical and chemical properties of the brain: temperature, pH, and the concentrations of sodium ions, calcium ions, glucose, and dissolved oxygen. Those biomarkers were chosen