Mocked Neurons Mimicking our Nerve Cells
A recent discovery of artificial mocking neurons now makes it much easier to imitate human nerve cells with a complicated process.
Artificial neurons that emulate the transmission of the electrical signals of our body’s nerve cells could one day benefit nerve patients. The neurons are incorporated into small silicon chips and can be used to transmit signals that were affected by illness or injury between nerve cells. The chips only require a billionth of the capacity of a standard microprocessor and can be used for chronic diseases such as heart failure or Alzheimer’s through medical implants theoretically.
In order to develop the artificial neurons, complex and comprehensive processes were required. A simulation was used by the researchers to model how the stimuli activate two types of neurons in rats: respiratory neurons that are responsible for breathing and those in the hippocampus. The models have been transformed into silicon chips in which replicas of biological ion channels were generated (which transmit signals in the body). The detailed process for the same was also described in a paper called “Nature Communications.”
On speculations, mocked neuron circuits could reproduce the healthy role of deteriorating nerve cells and relay electrical signals between various parts of the body. When someone has heart failure, for example, neurons in the brain do not adequately respond to nervous system feedback, so the heart also doesn’t pump hard as it should. A chip containing artificial neurons could transmit the right signal to get it back on track.
Several researchers are now using these chips to create clever pacemakers. Tests in rats have shown it to be more effective than a conventional pacemaker, although it is still a long time before such a system has been able to be implanted into human patients.
