Credit: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
With a special implant, scientists could simulate all kinds of cranial conditions.
A group of scientists in Korea and the United States have taken the idea of a “smart” phone to a whole new level: they have created a device that can control neural circuits using a tiny brain implant, which is controlled by a smartphone.
The goal of the device is to speed up efforts to reveal brain diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression, and addiction. Little drug cartridges are used along with special lights to target certain neurons of interest. They do this by using the drug and the light for long periods of time.
Their major concern was to make sure that the drugs did not run out during wireless drug delivery. A neural device with a replaceable drug cartridge was invented that could allow neuroscientists to keep studying the same brain circuits for an extended period of time without running out of drugs.
The experiment was first tested on mice and is being controlled with a simple user interface on a smartphone. With this technology, neuroscientists are able to trigger any specific combination of light and drug deliveries into any animal without having to be in a laboratory. This setup will allow neuroscientists to study the neural circuit basis of behaviors, and hopefully aid in the development of new therapeutics for pain, addiction, and emotional disorders.
