Credit: Matthew MacEwan/Mike Worful
Peripheral nerve injuries leave people with tingling, numbness and weakness in their arms, hands and legs. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Northwestern have developed an implantable, bioabsorbable device that speeds recovery in rats by stimulating injured nerves with electricity. The device degrades in a few weeks when exposed to saltwater, which mimics bodily fluids, as shown above (top left, device before immersion; top right, 10 days after immersion; bottom left, 15 days; bottom right, 25 days).