Friday, December 8, 2017

Bioelectronics; The Next Step

Cyborg Mice

The beginning of cyborgs in all scifi stories start with the lab rat

A recent team of researchers was able to insert a very thin, mesh-like wiring into the brains of mice, and then monitor the neural signals, including neural chatter from the eyes.
Small electrode probes have been inserted into animal brains before to similarly monitor brain activity, but these probes are slightly damaging to neurons and become less effective over time, as immune cells begin to attack the area, rendering it useless. This new ultra-thin gold wiring, wrapped in biofriendly polymers, can be suspended in a fluid and injected into neural tissue. It can go undetected by the immune system for a much longer period of time.
Dr. Charles Leiber, head of the team, said he hopes to extend the use beyond monitoring brain processes of sight. He hopes to use these meshes to study learning, memory, and memory loss.
On top of this finding, another team of researchers found a way to induce the production of a specific polymer on the membranes of neural cells. These polymers actually have a level of conductibility to them. The teams are working to connect the two ideas, which could actually allow the cells to communicate with the outside world, and interact with the mesh. The idea of being able to actually control the mice, or improve functions of the mice, are not very far off, bringing the era of the singularity even closer.


Service R. F. (08 Dec. 2017) Bioelectronics herald rise of a cyborg. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/358/6368/1233.full

3 comments:

  1. This is a very interesting way to study the brain processes of sight. The opportunity to find ways to control the mice and improve functions of the mice can be very beneficial and help scientists learn more about the function of a brain and maybe discover ways to treat diseases that effect eyesight and possibly blindness.

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  2. I thought it was amazing that these scientists found a way to efficiently insert wiring in the brain of mice that was not rejected by their immune system. Its ability to monitor brain activity takes neurobiology research and experiments further and there is so much innovation that can arise from bioelectronics. Researchers traditionally use knockout mice to study learning and memory, but this new mechanisms allows them to be fully functional and observed.

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  3. Its amazing that in a couple of decades we could all have devices embedded in our skin, besides the ones that keep some people alive like pacemakers. To be able to monitor data in rat with an appendage attached to its brain is extremely fascinating and being able to separate it from the body to the point where there is no immune response will be absolutely ground breaking. Bio electronics will change the way we interact with the world that we will never be able to look back on.

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