One promising approach is molecular imaging in transparent animals like zebrafish, which allows for real-time observation of individual neuron activity. Neural implants are another advancement, capable of capturing signals from large populations of neurons with extreme precision, leading to improvements in speech, movement, memory, and cognition in humans.
At Harvard, a team has made progress in this area, focusing on amphibians and rodents. They created a flexible electrical array made from a material similar to tofu that can be implanted in developing brains without causing harm. This innovation allows for the continuous recording of individual neurons as the brain grows.
Understanding how neurons come together to form a complex computing system capable of learning and cognition is crucial, but capturing brain activity during development is challenging. Existing techniques mainly focus on mature brains, offering limited resolution and delayed feedback.
Studying the tadpoles revealed different brain activity patterns as they developed, shedding light on how the brain wires itself and highlighting potential irregularities in the process. The team’s focus is now on further exploring the origins of life, particularly in mammals like rodents.
According to researcher Jia Liu, the technology opens up new possibilities for studying brain development, an area that is currently unexplored. The mesh array not only records brain activity but also helps stimulate nerve regrowth in axolotl embryos, known for their tissue regeneration abilities.
Brain development in the early stages is a bit of a mystery. While scientists have found ways to observe electrical activity in adult brains, they struggle to do so in embryos.
While the technology shows promise for understanding brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders, it is not yet suitable for human embryo implantation. The team hopes that their work will ultimately benefit individuals with such conditions in the future.
By utilizing stretchable electronics, researchers can better monitor brain development from 2D neural plates to fully-formed 3D structures in embryos. The team’s innovative mesh array, thinner than a micrometer, proved successful in monitoring tadpole brain development without causing any harm.
However, traditional neural implants are unsuitable for developing brains. Liu explains that the softness of the brain can be easily damaged by rigid electronics, especially during the rapid changes in shape and size that occur during development.
Although the team refrained from testing the device on human embryos due to ethical concerns, they successfully captured single neuron activity in brain organoids. These mini-brains, derived from human cells, offer insights into neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
