A mesh wire is developed to repair the brain when injected

By injecting mesh wires of a soft material like ribbon into the brain, new materials have been developed to observe the activities of each neuron, and to restore the brain by giving electrical stimulation. Causes a part of the brain to degenerateParkinson's diseaseAndschizophreniaIt is considered to be useful for treatment such as.

Injectable Nanowires Monitor Mouse Brains for Months - IEEE Spectrum
http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/injectable-nanowires-monitor-mouse-brains-for-months

Injectable Wires for Fixing the Brain
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602488/injectable-wires-for-fixing-the-brain/

Currently as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, electric stimulation / magnetic stimulation is sent to the deep part of the patient's brainDeep brain stimulation therapyIt is done. In deep brain stimulation therapy, the electrode is embedded in the brain, but embedding a hard electrode in a soft brain is inherently undesirable. Also, in order to activate neurons it is very dangerous as we have to keep raising the voltage.


Meanwhile, led by Professor Charles Lieber, a chemist at Harvard University and a pioneer of nanomaterialsLieber Research GroupIt is a very soft and flexible material that developed.


The research team covered gold wire with polymer and made a mesh ribbon. Since the ribbon is a very soft material unlike the electrode, it is possible to put it in the needle in the rolled state and to "inject" instead of "embed" in the brain.


At this time, the mesh wire is simple by knitting fibers with polymer coated silicon fiber and polymer aloneField effect transistorIt is forming. It has the property of curling in liquid, but once it is injected into the brain it stretches straight and makes contact with neurons.


When you put it in the water it is flickering.


In the experiment, when mesh wire was put in the mouse brain, we succeeded to stimulate one neuron and observe the activity of the brain cell. Since the research succeeded in recording individual activities of each neuron, activities in the brain have been unclear so far, but with mesh wires, a detailed brain map such as visual cortex during learning It is seen to be able to make.

When mesh wires are injected into the brain, mesh wire transistors are smaller than brain cells, so there is no worry of causing an immune reaction when injected. In addition, although the implant currently in use decreases in effect over time, mesh wire succeeded in functioning continuously for 8 months in mouse experiments.

If it becomes possible to distinguish the abnormalities of the brain occurring in patients with Parkinson's disease in the early stages, it will be possible to delay the progression of the disease by performing brain stimulation, Professor Lieber says that mesh wire therapy is applied to the brain I hope to be useful in treating diseases. Besides that, there is a possibility that mesh wires can clarify how the information obtained from the retina is associated with neurons.

Since research is still in the stage of animal experiments, we need to conduct further experiments targeting humans in the future. Also, although the mesh wire is currently connected with the computer of the outside world, it is finally planned to make electric power supply and control by equipment embedded in the body.