Living electrodes in Brain

 







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.


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