Credit: SciTechDaily.comA new neural implant changes brain activity monitoring, combining surface area and deep brain information acquisition in a minimally invasive manner.Scientists at the University of California San Diego have actually established a neural implant that supplies details about activity deep inside the brain while sitting on its surface area. The innovation, checked in transgenic mice, brings the scientists a step more detailed to constructing a minimally invasive brain-computer user interface (BCI) that supplies high-resolution data about deep neural activity by utilizing recordings from the brain surface.The work will be published today (January 11) in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.Overcoming Current Limitations in Neural Implants”We are broadening the spatial reach of neural recordings with this innovation,” stated study senior author Duygu Kuzum, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The team, led by Kuzum, one of the world leaders in developing multimodal neural user interfaces, includes nanoengineering professor Ertugrul Cubukcu, who specializes in innovative micro- and nanofabrication strategies for graphene products; electrical and computer engineering professor Vikash Gilja, whose laboratory integrates domain-specific understanding from the fields of standard neuroscience, signal processing, and maker knowing to decipher neural signals; and neurobiology and neurosciences professor Takaki Komiyama, whose laboratory focuses on examining neural circuit systems that underlie flexible behaviors.Transparency is one of the key functions of this neural implant.
Credit: SciTechDaily.comA new neural implant revolutionizes brain activity tracking, combining surface and deep brain information acquisition in a minimally intrusive manner.Scientists at the University of California San Diego have established a neural implant that provides information about activity deep inside the brain while sitting on its surface area. The technology, evaluated in transgenic mice, brings the researchers a step closer to building a minimally intrusive brain-computer user interface (BCI) that supplies high-resolution data about deep neural activity by utilizing recordings from the brain surface.The work will be published today (January 11) in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.Overcoming Current Limitations in Neural Implants”We are broadening the spatial reach of neural recordings with this technology,” stated study senior author Duygu Kuzum, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.”When positioned on the surface of the brain, this thin, flexible implant enables researchers to catch high-resolution information about neural activity deep inside the brain without damaging its delicate tissue. Each electrode is connected by a micrometers-thin graphene wire to a circuit board.In tests on transgenic mice, the implant made it possible for the scientists to capture high-resolution details about two types of neural activity– electrical activity and calcium activity– at the same time. The team, led by Kuzum, one of the world leaders in developing multimodal neural user interfaces, includes nanoengineering teacher Ertugrul Cubukcu, who specializes in sophisticated micro- and nanofabrication techniques for graphene products; electrical and computer engineering teacher Vikash Gilja, whose laboratory integrates domain-specific knowledge from the fields of fundamental neuroscience, signal processing, and device learning to decode neural signals; and neurobiology and neurosciences teacher Takaki Komiyama, whose lab focuses on examining neural circuit mechanisms that underlie flexible behaviors.Transparency is one of the crucial features of this neural implant.