Brain computer interface: Science fiction comes to life

Striving to help people with brain and spine damage led a team of researchers to developing what sounds unreal: tiny sensors that tap into the functioning of the brain, translating, tracing and even stimulate activity in it. Forget mind reading ETs and superheroes, we are talking about real researchers here – and instead of getting down from a spaceship – they published a paper in August this year! 

What is brain computer interface?  
Before we talk about an exciting new discovery, we need to know what brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are. These are assistive devices that may one day help people with brain or spinal injuries to move or communicate, and is a rapidly emerging field of study. BCI systems depend on implanting sensors that record electrical signals in the brain and use those signals to drive external devices like computers or robotic prosthetics. Most BCI systems use one or two sensors to tap sample up to a few hundred neurons, but neuroscientists wanted to gather data from much larger groups of brain cells.  

What was the futuristic research about?  
A mixed team, of experts from Brown, Baylor University, University of California at San Diego and the Qualcomm company began the work of developing a new BCI system about 4 years ago. They came up with ‘neurograins’, sensors the size of salt grains. These are set up as a coordinated network of independent, wireless, neural sensors, and they track, record and stimulate brain activity. The sensors work by recording the electrical pulses made by connecting and reacting neurons in our brain, and sending the signals wirelessly to a central hub, which coordinates and processes the signals.  

What was the result of the research?  
In a paper published on August 12 in ‘Nature Electronics’, the team revealed how they have used 50 such neurograins to record neural activity in a rodent. Yes, they have actually ‘read’ the brain of a small mammal, understood how its brain was working, and even ‘communicate’ with the brain through stimulation! This has taken us a long way towards creating therapies for people with brain and spinal injuries, though the researchers have a lot of hard work coming up.