Researchers from KAIST and Yonsei University have demonstrated a wireless brain implant that can be controlled across continents. Their system, called RAPIDO, received commands sent from Chicago to a laboratory in Daejeon, South Korea with an average response time of about 109 milliseconds. Designed for experiments with freely moving animals, the implant combines two capabilities: precisely delivering drugs into specific brain regions and providing targeted light stimulation for optogenetic experiments. Its refillable cartridge and internet-based control could enable longer-term studies while reducing the need for researchers to physically approach or repeatedly handle experimental animals.
In experiments with rats, RAPIDO successfully delivered controlled doses of cocaine into the nucleus accumbens over several weeks, producing measurable dose-dependent behavioral effects. In a separate experiment, researchers used the implant's light stimulation to activate the RhoA signaling pathway, preventing rats from developing the same learned preference for a cocaine-associated environment. The researchers stress that this does not constitute a treatment for addiction; rather, the work demonstrates a platform for remotely manipulating specific neural processes and studying their effects on behavior. Significant challenges must be addressed before such technology could be considered for human clinical applications.
More information:
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-brain-implant-in-korea-was-just-controlled-from-the-us
