A KAIST-led research team has developed an implantable wireless neural chip that continuously measures changes in acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter linked to brain function. The team combined an acetylcholine sensor with light-stimulation components and compact wireless measurement technology, then implanted the device in the prefrontal cortex of a minipig. After the dementia drug donepezil was administered, the acetylcholine signal increased and then gradually returned toward baseline, allowing the change to be observed in real time through external equipment.
The result is a preclinical demonstration rather than evidence of human treatment, and long-term safety and measurement stability must still be tested.