Source / Oriental IC
Neuromodulation technology makes you feel like you didn't exist before; a nanomaterial that allows you to "see" sound; without any surface wounds, drugs can enter a precise area of the brain; a The soft and boneless "needle" can automatically enter the deep part of the brain to realize human-computer interconnection...
These are not the wild imaginations in science fiction. Recently, the annual meeting jointly organized by the Tianqiao Brain Institute (TCCI) and the top international academic journal Science was successfully held. During the two-day conference, a number of top scientists in the field of brain science and research from all over the world introduced the most cutting-edge advances in neuromodulation and brain-computer interface technology to the audience. The picture of the future they paint is as surprising and exciting as in " Matrix " and "Battle Angel Alita".
Optics: Behavioral Manipulation at the Neuronal Level
Professor Weijian Yang from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Davis, described the research progress in using advanced optical techniques to monitor and modulate neuronal activity. A
neuron cluster refers to a group of neurons that co-activate in time and space, and the coordinated activity between clusters is the basis of brain cognition and behavior. The main research content of the professor is the use of optical means for neuromodulation at the level of neuron clusters.
high-throughput two-photon imaging microscope can image and observe a large number of neuronal activities in the deep brain in a very short time; and optogenetic technology refers to the use of genetics means to express specific optical channel proteins in specific neurons. In cells, scientists can use light to activate or inhibit neuronal activity; the team further developed holographic optogenetics technology, which can modulate the excitation light source into 3D shapes.
Combining these two technologies, the team has carried out many interesting explorations, such as being able to change the behavior of animals by firing special neurons in neuronal clusters; or even artificially "coding" animals by manipulating the synchronization of light stimulation Behavioral connections that did not exist before.
Flexible Brain Electrode: New Opportunities for Ancient Materials
TCCI researcher and professor Tao Hu, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced the new progress in the design of brain-computer interface . He pointed out that a qualified brain-computer interface should be: high-throughput, low-trauma and stable in vivo. Based on these principles, their team used the extracted silk protein as the basis for a brain-machine interface material, named "Silktrode."
Chart: Prof. Tao Hu introduced the new progress in brain-computer interface Interview provided by the interviewee stability. In addition, the use of fibroin-coated flexible electrodes can achieve minimally invasive implantation without a guide needle, and can automatically avoid blood vessels during the implantation process to avoid damage. Tao Hu hopes that in the near future, this technology can be applied to patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, perhaps through a brain-computer interface that allows patients to control the movement of the robotic arm or make speech.
"On the basis of the development of flexible electrodes, the development of chips, probes, implantation methods, surgical robots, data and algorithms related to brain-computer interfaces will form a comprehensive technology tree, and brain-computer interfaces will bring human society in the future. Come to a revolution." Tao Hu concluded.
Using ultrasound to talk to the brain: a new hope for non-invasive brain-computer interface
In fact, sound waves also have unlimited potential in brain research. Professor Mikhail Shapiro from Chemical Engineering at Caltech spoke about their explorations in ultrasound.
Compared with light, sound waves and magnetic fields have better penetrating power to tissues, and are suitable for research on larger animals and even humans. According to the principle of neurovascular coupling, the changes in the activity of neurons can be indirectly measured by detecting the changes of microvascular hemodynamics by ultrasound.
Shapiro teachesProfessor introduced an experiment: an ultrasound probe placed on the head of a gorilla could detect changes in neuronal activity by detecting hemodynamic changes, which are predicted before the gorilla responds. The intent of their activity - a technique that opens up the possibility of developing non-invasive brain-computer interfaces.
In addition, the scientists also observed that focused ultrasound has neuromodulatory effects that are non-invasive and non-invasive. Based on this, Professor Shapiro's team proposed the concept of acoustic targeting chemical genetics, which is based on the principle of using ultrasound to locate the brain region that you want to regulate, and to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier at that location with focused ultrasound, allowing the viral vector Enter the region; under the guidance of cell type-specific precursors, the specific cell expresses a chemical receptor, which increases the sensitivity of the specific region to a specific drug. Using this technology, ultrasound will be able to become a non-invasive brain drug delivery tool.
In addition, many experts and scholars shared the frontiers of acousto-optic materials, neurological rehabilitation, and low-frequency electrical stimulation. Many brain scientists have said that in the near future, they may enter our lives and bring about earth-shaking changes.
Xinmin Evening News reporter Gao Yang
