It sounds like science
fiction, but it isn't.
Living electrodes were
placed in the brain of rats. The purpose of the experiments is to study how, in
the future, to apply this technology to humans and to be able to connect the
brain to a computer or any machine (CBI: Computer Brain Interface).
Dr Kacy Cullen, an
associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania,
developed an electrode made of living tissue (tiny three-dimensional strands of
brain cells).
Dr Cullen also has his
own neurosurgery laboratory (the Cullen Lab).
Grown from stem cells and
packaged in biodegradable gel tubes, these natural electrodes can be softer in
the brain, fusing and connecting with living tissue rather than injuring it. He
hopes they can solve some of the implant problems used in DBS and BCIs and
potentially make these treatments available to more patients.
"This is an organic
interface that really allows you to speak the language of the brain - with the
added benefit of being self-renewing, as it is a living entity," said
Cullen. Live electrodes can not only replace traditional electrodes, but also
restore the "connectoma", the long-distance connections that can
stretch and break during brain damage or wither due to diseases like
Parkinson's or epilepsy.
Sources:
New Scientist , Neo Life, Bio Rxiv.
