- CALGARY (Canadian Press)
-- Researchers at the University of Calgary have found that nerve cells
grown on a microchip can learn and memorize information which can be communicated
to the brain.
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- "We discovered that when we used the chip to stimulate
the neurons, their synaptic strength was enhanced," said Naweed Syed,
a neurobiologist at the University of Calgary's faculty of medicine.
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- The nerve cells also exhibited memory traces that were
successfully read by the chip, said Syed, co-author of the landmark study
published in February's edition of Physical Review Letters, an international
journal.
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- The research was done in collaboration with the Max Planck
Institute for Biochemistry in Munich.
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- The team cultured nerve cells from a snail and placed
them on a specially designed silicon chip. Using a microcapacitor on the
chip, scientists stimulated one nerve cell to communicate with a second
cell, which transmitted that signal to multiple cells within the network.
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- A transistor located on the chip then recorded that conversation
between cells.
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- Mr. Syed said the discovery is groundbreaking.
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- "We've made a giant leap in answering several fundamental
questions of biology and neuro-electronics that will pave the way for us
to harness the power of nanotechnology," he said.
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- The findings could help in the design of devices that
combine electronic components and brain cells. That includes controlling
artificial limbs or restoring sight for the visually impaired.
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- Future research will focus on interfacing silicon chips
with the human brain to control artificial limbs and develop "thinking"
computers.
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