Memristors provide boost to development of neuroprosthetics

In a study published in Nature Communications, Southampton University researchers demonstrated that memristors could provide real-time processing of neuronal signals – so-called spiking events - leading to efficient data compression and the potential to develop more precise and affordable neuroprosthetics and bioelectronic medicines.

Monitoring neuronal cell activity is fundamental to neuroscience and the development of neuroprosthetics but a persistent problem is the device being able to process the neural data in real-time, which imposes restrictive requirements on bandwidth, energy and computation capacity.

Memristors are electrical components that limit or regulate the flow of electrical current in a circuit and can remember the amount of charge that was flowing through it and retain the data, even when the power is turned off.

Lead author Isha Gupta, postgraduate research student at Southampton University, said: “Our work can significantly contribute towards further enhancing the understanding of neuroscience, developing neuroprosthetics and bio-electronic medicines by building tools essential for interpreting the big data in a more effective way.”