Rewiring a Damaged Brain

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers in the Midwest are developing microelectronic circuitry to guide the growth of axons in a brain damaged by trauma. The goal is to rewire the brain connectivity and bypass the damaged region in order to restore normal behavior and movement. 'The device, which [professor Pedram Mohseni] calls a brain-machine-brain interface, includes a microchip on a circuit board smaller than a quarter. The microchip amplifies signals, called neural action potentials, produced by the neurons in one part of the brain and uses an algorithm to separate these signals — brain spike activity — from noise and other artifacts. Upon spike discrimination, the microchip sends a current pulse to stimulate neurons in another part of the brain, artificially connecting the two brain regions.'"

Comments

Re:Finally, moving forward

[Amorymeltzer]

It grows.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/677048.stm

Re:WAR! HUH! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR... medical techno

[tehcyder]

Of course if we hadn't had soliders in the war there wouldn't be any brain trauma to repair, but those soliders sacrifice in Iraq might end up helping millions of people who suffer brain damage from accidents and strokes

Or instead, the people helping the millions of people who suffer brain damage from accidents and strokes could be, maybe, the millions of people who suffer brain damage from accidents and strokes, thereby obviating the need for a fucking expensive and pointless war entirely.