Overview
- The Yonsei University team, whose study was published Thursday, found that contact-lens retinal stimulation reduced depression-like behavior in mice.
- Mice treated 30 minutes a day for three weeks showed improvements comparable to the SSRI fluoxetine, and a machine-learning analysis grouped them with healthy controls.
- Brain recordings showed restored communication between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, alongside biomarker shifts of 48% lower corticosterone and 47% higher serotonin versus untreated mice.
- The lenses deliver two weak electrical signals that only take effect where they overlap, allowing a surface device with transparent gallium oxide and platinum electrodes to stimulate targets reached through the retina.
- The work remains a wired proof of concept in animals, with the team planning wireless prototypes, long-term safety testing in larger species, personalized settings, and eventual clinical trials.