Neurotechnology Projects

The McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT has just recently announced several monetary awards for neurotechnology projects that will help develop new advancements in several neuroscience fields. Most of these neurotechnology fields have already been investigated to a certain extent, but the award money will allow further refinement of the technology.

One of the projects covers better brain computer interfaces.

Smart materials for brain recordings

To study long term changes in the brain, researchers need to make chronic recordings of neural activity. But the standard electrodes can damage brain tissue and lose their electrical contacts over time, so there is a need to develop alternative, biocompatible electrode materials. One such material is carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and Emilio Bizzi of the McGovern Institute will collaborate with Jing Kong in the MIT department of electrical engineering and computer science to explore the use of CNTs for neural recording.

Another of the projects is using photons of light to activate neurons. Work has already been performed on this in the past.

Manipulating intracellular signaling pathways using light

Ed Boyden, a member of the MIT media lab and an associate member of McGovern Institute, is a pioneer in the development of optical tools for manipulating electrical activity in neurons.

Better analysis of single brain cells is another project.

Precise dissection of single brain cells

The ability to analyze single cells is especially important in the brain, where cells of many different types are closely intermingled. However, because of the brain's dense meshwork of connections, it is often impossible to cleanly remove a single cell without contamination from adjacent cells. To solve this problem, Ann Graybiel of the McGovern Institute will collaborate with Mehmet Fatih Yanik in the MIT department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, who plans to develop a 3-dimensional laser-based cutting method that can dissect a single cell from its neighbors.

All of these projects should help to advance our understanding of the brain and enable a better manipulation of its functioning.