Immortalized by science fiction writers in the past, the concept of using micro computer chips
to repair damaged brain functions is no longer just intriguing reading.
A brain slice of the hippocampus
It is the goal of research from the Biomedical Engineering lab of Dr. Theodore W. Berger at USC.
Dr. Berger’s research uses experimental and theoretical approaches to develop models of mammalian neural systems, focusing currently on the hippocampus area of the brain, essential for learning and memory functions. The purpose is to study the way living hippocampal neurons behave and exchange electrical signals and to adapt this behavior to a synthetic device; a computer chip.
Already successful on a number of levels, the research intends to provide a hitherto unavailable treatment for damaged brain function, either a result of injury or a result of disease, like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Berger’s research uses experimental and theoretical approaches to develop models of mammalian neural systems, focusing currently on the hippocampus area of the brain, essential for learning and memory functions. The purpose is to study the way living hippocampal neurons behave and exchange electrical signals and to adapt this behavior to a synthetic device; a computer chip.
Already successful on a number of levels, the research intends to provide a hitherto unavailable treatment for damaged brain function, either a result of injury or a result of disease, like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
The product of this research has many names: neural prosthesis, biomimetic implant, brain chip, biotech implant, and embedded microchip.
Its function will be to mimic the structure of the nerve tissue in the hippocampus by placing multiple electrodes on an array, to listen for incoming neuron activity, and then to stimulate electrodes to deliver the appropriate output to the rest of the brain — potentially restoring memory function for patients with tissue damage.
The implant is currently being tested in rats and will eventually be tested in other animals. A first test of the implant in humans is projected in the next five years.
The research has been honored most recently by EETimes, chosen for inclusion in the "Great Minds, Great Ideas" program. Profiled by Newsweek in 2005, the research was hailed as a "Next Frontier."
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Electrode array feeds neural activity in the hippocampus to the chip which delivers output to the rest of the brain, bypassing damaged tissue
Its function will be to mimic the structure of the nerve tissue in the hippocampus by placing multiple electrodes on an array, to listen for incoming neuron activity, and then to stimulate electrodes to deliver the appropriate output to the rest of the brain — potentially restoring memory function for patients with tissue damage.
The implant is currently being tested in rats and will eventually be tested in other animals. A first test of the implant in humans is projected in the next five years.
The research has been honored most recently by EETimes, chosen for inclusion in the "Great Minds, Great Ideas" program. Profiled by Newsweek in 2005, the research was hailed as a "Next Frontier."
Read Press
