Sprinkling of neural dust opens door to electroceuticals

Monitoring electrical signals from muscles and nerves has become easier with a 1x1x3 mm sensor that can be implanted anywhere in the body, powered and read out by ultrasound. With further miniaturization, these sensors could replace brain electrodes wired through the skull to control prosthetics, but also allow real time monitoring of nerve and muscle activity, or oxygen or metabolite levels. It could eventually be used to stimulate muscles or nerves, e.g. to treat epilepsy.