Thanks to the developments of a new chip, doctors might be able to treat patients whose speech and movements have been affected by a stroke or an injury to their spinal cord. Patients often suffer such problems because of damage to their neural circuits.
Now, an implantable and wireless chip has been developed to create artificial connections between different parts of the brain, which in turn could lead to devices that can reconnect damaged neural circuits. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Washington on live animals showed that an implantable device could not only record and transmit signals from one part of the brain to another, but also reshape neural connections while doing so.
The device was built out of tiny wire electrodes, and surgically implanted into a monkey’s motor cortex-the area in which neurons are the most active when a voluntary movement is made. The wires recorded activity from these cells and sent signals to a tiny printed circuit board, which processed and amplified them.
It in turn sent this information to a neighboring circuit board and electrode, which used the signal to stimulate cells in another part of the motor cortex. The device was attached to the monkey’s head, and did not impede its routine daily activities. Research indicates that the device was able to reshape the neural circuits that control muscle movement.
