USC researcher crafting silicon brain cells

C'mon, linking actual brain cells to a silicon chip might sound a bit sensational at first, but considering the work that's already been done on replacement retinas and human brains, Ted Berger's recently-hyped work is pretty much right on time. Essentially, the USC researcher has spent the past decade or so "engineering a brain implant that can re-create thoughts," and moreover, certain implementations could even "remedy everything from Alzheimer's to absent-mindedness." We know, thoughts of instantaneous brilliance are running wild through your mind, and considering that Ted (and his highly-regarded team) have figured out how to link a silicon chip to actual brain cells and elicit responses, the possibilities are indeed nearly endless. Put simply, Berger hopes that brain disorders that are currently battled with intensive drug regimens with less-than-exciting side effects can be solved "by simply implanting a few computerized brain cells." Of course, the team admits that it's "years, maybe decades" away from hospital-approved apparatuses, but if you're interested in reading (a lot) more about "the future of brain science," grab your specs, prepare your paltry short term memory, and hit the read link for all the insight.

[Via MedGadget]

[McGinley @ Apr 7th 2007 6:51AM]

Is it possible to implant these into the less intelligent members of our society to make them smarter??

[Eric @ Apr 14th 2007 10:58AM]

Looking for hope?

[jarofchris @ Apr 7th 2007 12:41PM]

Yep there is always hope for the Democratic party. :-P

[Gil @ Apr 7th 2007 6:58AM]

Interfacing brain cells with chips is nothing new. The downside is that the brain cells slowly fry because we can only communicate with them by forcing electrical current through the membranes. To create functional implants that don't fry the brain we need artificial synapses.

What the article is actually saying is that Ted Berger is leading a project to decode the SIGNALS coming out of brain cells not to succesfully interface wetware and hardware.

[Dan @ Apr 7th 2007 10:13AM]

So is this like the movie/book Johnny Mnemonic??? I'd stick a flash drive in my head any day. It would be nice to have some extra storage.

[John Doe @ Apr 7th 2007 12:32PM]

Dan I hate to break it to you but you brain has plenty of storage as is.
Personally my guess is that someday chips like this will allow us to access dormant and unused portions of our brain. Sort of like using the GPU on your PC to do F@H work even though it wasn't originally designed for that.
Think of it as forced evolution through technology. Personally I look forward to the day I can walk into a school sit down, and upload a training manual for [insert difficult subject here that would normally take 3-4 years to learn.] It will probably happen. Just not in any of our lifetimes. Which is a pity.

[Chris @ Apr 7th 2007 10:26AM]

If this would work for Alzheimers Pateints, Go for it, it seems to be the only hope for the future people who will develope Alzheimers. Alzheimers is a horrible disease, that destorys the lifes of so many. Any hope is better than no hope for the patients and their Familys. Watching someone you love with all your heart go into total darkness of this Disease is so heartbreaking and something that will change your outlook on life forever.
Chris

[Fef @ Apr 7th 2007 11:40AM]

Its possible to make people smarter with drugs. However the development of brain enhancing drugs is forbidden.

If its not broken dont fix it, so they say.

[Rod @ Apr 9th 2007 12:49AM]

Yeah I know. Wouldn't that be nice?
Then instead of going to med school and doing research, I would just copy knowledge from my professors and I would be writing my PhD thesis and getting ready for the boards.
You're right though. It probably won't happen in our lifetime, if only because of the aversion to scientific progress that religious fundamentalists have, who unfortunately have a lot of power in societies throughout the world

[badnegro @ Apr 9th 2007 5:49PM]

I'd like to start a company that develops this technology.

Think I'll call it *Sylar*...

[Waylan Wong @ Apr 7th 2007 4:12PM]

I think this is awesome, if only because it came from USC. FIGHT ON! \/

[Rod @ Apr 7th 2007 5:55PM]

This would not work for Alzheimer.
Alzheimer is a prion disease, which means that the proteins will turn each other into beta cross forms in an infectious manner thus no matter what you do to keep the brain function, you'd still have aggregation of solid protein deposit in your brain, which would ultimately result in subdural hematoma.
I believe Alzheimer and other neurodegenerative disease is still years and years from any kind of a reasonable cure and it'll probably come in the form of advancements in embryonic stem cell research. Or perhaps it will come from further study of prion diseases. Computer chips, while it's a fancy idea, is probably not the solution for that particular problem. Who is making this stuff anyway? Are they med school researchers? Biological division researchers?

[kyle allen @ Apr 8th 2007 1:54AM]

... this strikes me as a verry bad idea.

[KC @ Apr 8th 2007 11:38AM]

Add in some WiMax and the ability to download engadget straight into your brain and it'll be good to go =)

[John Doe @ Apr 7th 2007 12:33PM]

Yep there is always hope for the Republican party. :-P