A groundbreaking advancement has recently emerged in China’s brain science and neuromodulation fields. A research team from the National Defense Innovation Institute, in collaboration with clinicians from Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University led by Jianghong He and Yi Yang , has successfully completed the world’s first clinical trial applying terahertz waves to repair brain function in patients with disorders of consciousness. The milestone achievement fills the global clinical gap of terahertz neuromodulation for consciousness impairment and establishes an innovative technical approach for the repair of intractable neurological functional damage.
Terahertz waves occupy a unique electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared light, featuring excellent penetration, low photon energy and high biocompatibility. The technology enables precise, non-invasive modulation of neural activity within cerebral circuits, overcoming the inherent limitations of conventional neural stimulation methods – including invasiveness, low targeting accuracy and significant side effects. For decades, clinical interventions for disorders of consciousness, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases have remained limited. Traditional medication and routine electrical stimulation fail to precisely restore functional connectivity in damaged brain regions, leaving numerous patients with irreversible neurological deficits. The clinical application of terahertz nerve stimulation has fundamentally reversed this therapeutic bottleneck.
The pioneering clinical trial was conducted based on mature deep brain stimulation (DBS) minimally invasive surgery, adopting an innovative terahertz-DBS combined stimulation paradigm. Intraoperative real-time monitoring and postoperative systematic analysis demonstrate that terahertz stimulation can effectively activate dormant cranial nerves, enhance functional connectivity across multiple brain regions, and optimize the overall activity of cerebral neural circuits. The combined therapy delivers far superior repair outcomes compared with single conventional stimulation strategies, facilitating targeted remodeling of impaired neural circuits and laying a critical foundation for neurological rehabilitation and consciousness recovery. Up to now, the enrolled patient has maintained stable vital signs and shown favorable neurological recovery, verifying the safety and feasibility of terahertz technology in human neurological disease treatment.
Previous preclinical studies have confirmed that terahertz nerve stimulation enables precise bidirectional regulation of neuronal activity. Animal experiments indicate that the optimal parameter protocol (10 mW, 60-second stimulation) significantly enhances cerebral gamma oscillations and whole-brain signal synchronization without causing cerebral edema, hemorrhage or other tissue damage. High-frequency terahertz stimulation modulates potassium channel conductance in neurons, suppressing hyperactivity of pyramidal neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex to alleviate neuropathic pain, anxiety and depressive-like behaviors. Meanwhile, it upregulates neuronal calcium signaling, optimizes synaptic transmission efficiency and ameliorates cognitive impairment induced by stress, covering the regulatory demands of a wide range of neurological disorders.
Terahertz nerve stimulation exhibits prominent advantages over traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation techniques. With mild energy output, it avoids thermal injury and organic damage to normal brain tissue, ensuring superior biological safety. Its micron-level targeting accuracy allows localized modulation of neural activity in specific brain regions without disturbing adjacent neural tissues. In addition, the regulatory effects are long-lasting, with a single stimulation sustaining stable neural modulation for an extended period, which substantially reduces repeated intervention costs.
Industry experts remarked that the success of this world-first clinical trial places China at the global forefront of terahertz biomedical applications and brain-computer interface neuromodulation. The technology provides a novel awakening therapy for refractory consciousness disorders, including vegetative state and minimally conscious state. With continuous technical iteration, it is expected to be expanded to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic brain injury, intractable neuropathic pain and other neurological disorders.
According to the research team, ongoing iterations are focused on developing non-contact, fully non-invasive terahertz neuromodulation technology. The upgraded system will eliminate reliance on minimally invasive surgery and realize convenient, high-precision cranial nerve regulation. Industry forecasts suggest that terahertz nerve stimulation will reshape the global system of neurological rehabilitation and brain disease treatment. It will not only serve as a powerful new tool for fundamental brain science research, but also drive leapfrog progress in brain-computer interfaces, neural repair and mental disorder therapy, bringing renewed hope for millions of patients with neurological diseases worldwide.