You read that right, electrodes can be implanted in the brain!

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Ishimiya

Producer: China Science Expo

Can you imagine? In the future, with just a needle, electrodes can be implanted in the brain, and with the help of some medical methods, the symptoms that plague the lives of patients with neurological diseases can be solved.

This seemingly far-fetched idea may be one step closer to success. In a recent publication in the journal Science, scientists successfully implanted electrodes in the brains of living organisms, giving people hope that technology can change their lives once again!

brain

(Photo source: Veer Gallery)

How to implant electrodes in the brain?

So, how do scientists achieve the positioning and installation of conductive electrodes in living organisms?

Scientists have formulated a multi-component mixture gel, which contains non-toxic ingredients. When the mixture gel is injected into the body, the endogenous enzymes around the neural tissue in the body will catalyze the precursors in the mixture to undergo a series of oxidative polymerization and cross-linking reactions to generate ion-electron mixed conductive polymers, and finally form a uniform soft electrode that is stable in the body for a long time.

Electrode formation process

(Image source: Reference 1)

Scientists injected the gel into the zebrafish's head, tail fin, heart and around the leech's nerve tissue, and found that when the gel came into contact with natural molecules in the body, the change in its own structure caused conductivity in the body. This electrode will not harm the body's tissues, nor will it cause the body's immune rejection reaction.

Simply put, scientists have developed a gel that is harmless to organisms and is not rejected by organisms. After entering the body, this gel can generate conductivity through structural changes.

This method successfully positioned the conductive material around specific nerve tissue in the body, creating a suitable interactive interface for nerve stimulation. With the further development of science and technology, it is entirely possible to create integrated electronic circuits in the body!

Electrodes formed in vivo

(Image source: Reference 1)

What other "high-tech" can be implanted in the body

In addition to implanting electrodes near nerves, there are other "high-tech" devices that can be implanted in the human body, bringing good news to people in need.

Neural implants

In order to alleviate the inconvenience caused by neurological dysfunction to the human body, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health have invested a lot of money in the research of neural implants.

Neural implants are special devices that can interact with and sense neurons in the human body. When we think or remember, the neurons in our brain are activated and emit pulse waves that can be recorded by the implant.

Therefore, the implanted device can well record the specific activities of the nerves in the brain. Based on this, external control of the nervous system can be achieved. Through this technology, memory can be improved, brain nerve dysfunction can be reduced, etc.

Brain memory

(Photo source: Veer Gallery)

Artificial Heart

The heart is the driving force that keeps people alive. Once the heart is diseased, it will directly affect people's survival. Fortunately, there is a magnetic levitation artificial heart, which brings hope to more heart disease patients.

The artificial heart is similar to a loudspeaker worn around the waist. It is less than 3 cm thick, 5 cm in diameter, and weighs less than half a pound, making it very portable. The working principle of the artificial heart involves the characteristics of permanent magnets and electromagnets. Through the effective regulation of the two, the blood pump volume is reduced. In addition, the researchers successfully made the artificial heart compatible with the blood in the body, thus solving the problems of in vitro rejection and thrombosis.

However, there is one thing that needs special attention. The artificial heart needs to be charged at all times. Once the power is cut off, it will be dangerous to human life, so it is necessary to ensure that the power is not cut off in daily life.

heart

(Photo source: Veer Gallery)

Conclusion

The development of modern science has helped us realize many seemingly unrealistic ideas and helped people suffering from diseases see new hope. I believe that with the further development of science, the "high-tech" implanted in the human body will have more stable and powerful functions, which can truly benefit mankind and further realize the change of life by science and technology.

References:

[1] Strakosas, Xenofon; Biesmans, Hanne; Abrahamsson, Tobias; et al. Metabolite-induced in vivo fabrication of substrate-free organic bioelectronics. Science, 2023, 379, 6634, 795-802.

[2] Fang Siyuan. Research on the support characteristics of centrifugal magnetic levitation heart pump[D]. Wuhan University of Technology, 2012.

[3] Yang Dan, et al. Implantable neural microelectrodes. Materials Review. 2020, 34(01).

Editor: Guo Yaxin