Brain functions are made possible
by circuits of spiking neurons, connected together by microscopic, but highly
complex links called synapses. In this new study, scientists created a hybrid
neural network where biological and artificial neurons in different parts of
the world were able to communicate with each other over the internet through a
hub of artificial synapses made using cutting-edge nanotechnology. This is the
first time the three components have come together in a unified network.
During the study, researchers cultivated
rat neurons in their laboratory as well as created artificial neurons on
Silicon microchips. They anticipate that their approach will ignite interest
from a range of scientific disciplines and accelerate the pace of innovation
and scientific advancement in the field of neural interfaces research. The
ability to seamlessly connect disparate technologies across the globe is a step
towards the democratisation of these technologies, removing a significant
barrier to collaboration.
More information: