14 DAY TRIAL // Recent research done in Italy and Switzerland shows that carbon nanotubes may be the best bet in the attempt to engineer an artificial brain, mostly because of their chemical and electrical properties, which closely resemble those of human neurons. The complete study was published on December 21st, in the on-line issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
The new find may hold the key to an important step forward in the field of brain wiring, as carbon nanotubes seem very suited to replace the metal electrodes that are currently being used for research and treatment in various ailments.
"This result is extremely relevant for the emerging field of neuro-engineering and neuroprosthetics," says Michel Giugliano, the leader of the Swiss research team, which conducted its experiments at the Laboratory of Neural Microcircuitry at EPFL.
The main stake in using carbon nanotubes inside the brain is for doctors to be able to bypass “faulty” wiring in the brain, or even to “bypass” non-critical areas that have been damaged in accidents or other injuries. Because of their high electric potential, the nanotubes can be used to short-circuit unneeded neurons, and can virtually bridge two areas together, much like applying a conductor between two wires, in order to stop them from transmitting anymore.
"There are three fundamental obstacles to developing reliable neuroprosthetics: 1) stable interfacing of electromechanical devices with neural tissue, 2) understanding how to stimulate the neural tissue, and 3) understanding what signals to record from the neurons in order for the device to make an automatic and appropriate decision to stimulate," argues the head of the Laboratory of Neural Microcircuitry, Henry Markram, who is also one of the authors of the new paper.
He adds that "The new carbon nanotube-based interface technology discovered together with state of the art simulations of brain-machine interfaces is the key to developing all types of neuroprosthetics – sight, sound, smell, motion, vetoing epileptic attacks, spinal bypasses, as well as repairing and even enhancing cognitive functions."