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Brain is an intergrated electrical circuit.
Neural activity produces electricity and vice versa, that is by applying electrical stimuli you can activate brain regions (you may activate brain regions by applying magnetic fields as per basic principles of electromagnetism, which is called TMS or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, google it for more…).
The problem of direct electrical stimuli to the brain is that due to high density of the neurons (brain is too evolved for this small scull) the stimuli diffuse. It is very difficult to localize the electrical stimuli with current technology. You need too thin electrodes, precision of the implanted device and many many other.
There is a way to go around the problem and this is a disruptive techology. It is called optogenetics and has only a few years that came into play. Optogenetics offers the potential to localize the external electrical stimuli to a single type of neurons or brain region.
It is achieved by inserting a gene responsible for the translation of channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) protein. This is a protein that is responsive to light and causes the neurons that produce it to react upon blue light stimuli.
The light does not have to be localized. The genetically altered neurons that respond to light are!
This technology has great importance for neuroscience. Medtronic scientists already work on it as a long term project. ( gene therapy has to be established prior optogenetics for human). Click here for more.
Animal testings have great success and provided great insight on the inner workings of brain. Google “optogenetics” to learn more about the history of this recent exciting discovery…
What is the advantage of this? Current implants diffure the stimuli to other brain regions causing side effects like nausea. Tissue response to brain implant which has to be in contact with brain leads to gradual rejection of the implant.
Optogenetic implants will provide the necessary brain region control to very localized and specific brain regions, without even having to be in contact with brain.
Moreover, if other proteins that react to other wavelenght of light are discovered then the damaged brain region may be controlled remotely…(for now science fiction of mind control only…)
Future has a lot of surprises in it’s pockets…
If you want some basic literature on optogenetics I suggest the following articles:
[1] Neuroscience: Controlling neural circuits with light, Michael Häusser & Spencer L. Smith, Nature 446, 617-619 (5 April 2007) | doi:10.1038/446617a
[2] Ultrafast optogenetic control, Lisa A Gunaydin, Ofer Yizhar, André Berndt, Vikaas S Sohal, Karl Deisseroth & Peter Hegemann, Nature Neuroscience 13, 387 – 392 (2010), doi:10.1038/nn.2495
Till later,
Nano L.A.>
