2003 – Page 3 – Dynamic Patterns Research

Cultured Neurons Given a Body

Neuron-computer Interface / Matthew T. Dearing / 1 Comment

Can a clump of loose neurons extracted from a rat reconnect and grow their own brain? Steve Potter, professor of biomedical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is trying to do just that with his research to integrate cultured neurons into a functioning robot device.

If provided with the correct environment to survive, neurons remain quite active little creatures and tend to find ways to reconnect with other neurons. The neurons will begin talking to one another, and their communication links will even evolve based on input from their external environment.

Prof. Potter’s group has developed a small robot that takes the electrical signals from a network of living brain cells and translates them into some form of physical motion for the bot. Sensors located all over the robot then provide electrical feedback to the neuron network after, say, the robot runs into the wall.

The network’s activity is carefully watched, and some level of biological development has been observed. This is certainly a very exciting and interesting advancement in making functional connections between living neurons and computers.

[ Read the article on MSNBC ]

[ Learn more about Prof. Potter’s work ]

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Channeling Nerve Growth

Don’t loose your nerves. You might not get them back.

It’s an well know “fact” that once a brain cell dies, it won’t grow back. Scientists are continuing to discover that this is not always the case, as has been previously discussed here in Neuron News. More developments from a United States government lab is continuing to show that damaged nerve cells might be coaxed into rejuvenation.

Surya Mallapragada, an Ames Laboratory associate in Materials Chemistry, has developed micro channels in degradable polymers that can guide growing axons to fill in gaps of important nervous system wiring caused by some sort of damage.

There has been some success with nerves in rats, but they are still learning about how this approach will work in the central nervous system comprised of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve.

[ Read the article from the Ames Laboratory ]