Better brain implants with the help of neurons
Monday, 11 July 2011, 18:14 IST
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Washington:How on earth do busy nerve cells pick and respond to relevant signals amid the relentless bombardment of information? Somehow neurons (nerve cells) do manage to accomplish the daunting task, and they do it with more finesse than anyone ever realized, as new research by University of Michigan shows. The findings of mathematician Daniel Forger and co-authors add to basic knowledge about how neurons work. It also suggests ways of better designing the brain implants, used to treat diseases such as Parkinson's, the journal Public Library of Science Computational Biology reports. Forger and co-authors David Paydarfar at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and John Clay at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke studied neuronal responses, according to a Michigan statement. Among the key findings are that neurons are adept at their job. "They can pick out a signal from hundreds of other similar signals," said Forger, research assistant professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics. Neurons discriminate among signals based on the signals' "shape," (how a signal changes over time), and the authors found that, contrary to prior belief, a neuron's preference depends on context. "We found that neurons can prefer one signal - call it signal A - when compared with a certain group of signals, and a different signal - call it signal B - when compared with another group of signals," Forger said. This is true even when signal A and signal B are not at all alike. "We found that the optimal stimulus is context-dependent. So the best signal will differ, depending on the part of the brain where the implant is placed," he said. "Our results determine the optimal signals to stimulate a neuron," Forger said. "These signals are much more effective and require less battery power than what is currently used," he added. Such efficiency would translate into less frequent surgery to replace batteries in patients with brain implants, according to Forger.
Source: IANS
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