Why have a flat brain when you have a flexible sensor?
Hello!
Let's be honest: our brain is not just a clever thing, it is literally a supercomputer, but with one caveat – figuring out how it works seems more difficult than completing a Souls-like game without dying. They call him a genius, but he looks… well, let's just say, like an intricate pile of curly pasta (sorry, brain lovers).
If the brain were smooth, like asphalt after a major renovation, life would become easier. And so – we have a whole labyrinth of folds and convolutions here, which is a real challenge to figure out. And so the scientists just received their quest: “Figure out how to glue a sensor to this ball.”. Spoiler: they succeeded. And these are far from British scientists!
In this article we’ll talk about a sensor that can adapt to any gyrus. This sensor not only records brain activity, but can also control it using… ultrasound!
Focused ultrasound on the brain
Focused ultrasound sounds like something that would come out of the Death Star, but it is a real medical development that targets the brain without surgery. The idea is to stimulate specific areas of the brain using sound waves without breaking the skull. Sounds convenient.
But here's the rub: To influence a specific area of the brain, you need to know exactly where that area is and what is happening to it. This is where the hero of the article comes into the picture—a sensor that not only measures brain signals, but can also adapt to its shape.
Sensor
Scientists from Sungkyunkwan University and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology have invented a sensor that can literally “make friends” with the convolutions of the brain. It adapts to any shape, providing a tight fit and accurate measurements of neural signals. He can also stimulate areas of the brain using low-intensity ultrasound.
Previously, sensors that contacted the surface of the brain faced the problem of accurately measuring signals, since they could not fit tightly into the complex convolutions of the brain. – speaks Donhee Son, lead author of the study.
Yes, we repeat, the problem was that the brain is not a flat surface. And when the sensor can't do it right”stick” to it, measurements become inaccurate, making diagnosis and treatment difficult. Therefore, the new sensor solves this problem, providing a reliable fit even in places with strong curvature.
How does this sensor work?
The sensor, called ECoG, consists of three layers.
Hydrogel layer – it literally sticks to the brain tissue.
Self-healing polymer – changes shape, adapting to the convolutions.
Gold electrodes – remove signals and allow brain stimulation.
When the sensor comes into contact with brain tissue, the magic begins: the hydrogel adheres, the polymer substrate adapts to the surface of the brain, and the electrodes begin their work. Voila – the sensor is ready to work!
Perhaps these images will be unpleasant for you!
How does this work? Upon contact with brain tissue, the hydrogel layer begins the gelation process, resulting in an immediate and durable attachment to the brain. After this, the polymer layer begins to change its shape, increasing the area of contact with the brain tissue. When the sensor is fully “hugs” brain surface, it's ready to go.
But why is this necessary?
Now comes the fun part. This sensor is not just a beautiful science experiment. He is a real hope for people with epilepsy. A disease in which uncontrollable attacks can suddenly overtake a person becomes easier to manage. Thanks to the sensor, you can not only measure brain activity, but also influence the areas that cause attacks, helping to reduce their frequency.
Previous diagnostic methods suffered from noise generated by ultrasonic signals, making accurate measurements difficult. But the new sensor minimizes this noise and makes treatment more personalized and precise.
Where will all this lead?
The new sensor has already been successfully tested on live rodents, and the results have been very impressive. Scientists were able to not only measure brain waves, but also monitor epileptic seizures in animals.
But that's not all. Scientists plan to increase the number of electrodes, which will allow more detailed measurements of brain activity. They are also working to make sensor implantation minimally invasive.
Conclusion
The brain remains a mystery to us, but every year science is moving step by step closer to understanding how it works. New technologies are already helping to combat diseases such as epilepsy, and who knows what other scientific discoveries are waiting around the corner?
If you want to know more about the study itself, you can find it here: Nature Electronics.
It would also be interesting to know if you would use this method?
