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Brain-Stimulating Contact Lenses Match Prozac in Mouse Depression Study

The preclinical work points to a drug-free path that stimulates mood circuits through the eye.

Overview

  • The peer-reviewed study, published Thursday in Cell Reports Physical Science, found 30-minute daily sessions for three weeks worked as well as fluoxetine in a stress-induced mouse model.
  • The lenses send two weak electrical signals that only become active where they overlap at the retina, which lets the pulse reach targeted mood-related brain circuits.
  • Recordings showed lost connectivity between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex came back, alongside a 48% drop in blood corticosterone and a 47% rise in serotonin.
  • An integrative machine-learning readout grouped treated mice with healthy controls rather than with untreated depressed mice.
  • The device remains a wired prototype at an early stage, with plans for a wireless version, longer-term safety testing in larger animals, personalized dosing, and then clinical trials.