Brain-Computer Interfaces
Direct brain control of prosthetics has become reality. Yet even the most advanced systems still fall short of exhibiting the level of control needed for everyday behaviors, such as reaching for a cup of water. The goal is to improve the speed and accuracy of signal translation, allowing patients to use computers or their prostheses for prolonged periods.
As researchers come to understand more about how the brain works, they are finding new opportunities to directly intervene in brain and spinal cord function to relieve suffering from disorders that have until now evaded solutions. Scientists are learning how to use technology to restore brain circuit abnormalities resulting from stroke, degenerative disease, or even depression. The hope is that these new technologies will allow people limited by brain injury or disease to resume the activities of daily life. At the same time, these technological approaches will be a boon to basic researchers, who will use the new tools for “reading” the brain and tweaking activity to further probe basic brain function.
Neuromodulation and Interventional Neuroscience
The nervous system doesn’t work properly when damaged cells break a circuit, or when the wrong signals are sent. Tools for tuning excitable cells in the living body are the focus of neuromodulation experts. Their toolkits include molecular manipulations and new forms of neural stimulation, from ultrasound to fiber optics.
One area of neuroengineering research involves exploring new techniques that link brain impulses to devices, or directly manipulating the specific brain circuits that are not able to function properly in neurologic disorders. Bioengineers are able to deploy devices that read the brain and transform subtle nerve signals into commands for prosthetics or computers. Other neuroscientists are starting to craft more precise ways to modulate nerve cells to ease pain or balance mood. The discovery of neural stem cells, which can become any type of cell in the nervous system, provides the potential to engineer new cells to replace or repair damaged tissues. Stem cells may eventually let physicians repair a severed spinal column or replace the dopamine neurons that die and cause Parkinson’s disease.
Tissue Engineering and Neural Transplantation
Can stem cells replace neurons lost in strokes or spinal cord injury? To restore function, researchers need to determine the best stem cell for transplant, the optimal timing of transplantation, and the mechanisms of recovery. Scientists also seek to bring aboard new drugs to boost the natural production of brain stem cells, and to re-train stem cells to take over for lost neural cells.
The possibilities for neural recovery have been boosted by new information that the brain normally does try to fix itself. Researchers are working to boost these natural healing efforts as well as override the scarring processes that prevent repair. In short, collaboration and innovation between neuroscience and engineering is revolutionizing treatment for brain disorders while also providing the tools to better understand how neural circuits provide the brain with its amazing capabilities.
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