Soft Implant could further understanding of the brain

Bioengineers at SEAS have developed a soft, thin, stretchable bioelectronic device that can be implanted into a tadpole embryo’s neural plate, the early-stage, flat structure that folds to become the 3D brain and spinal cord.

The researchers demonstrated that the device could integrate seamlessly into the brain as it develops and record electrical activity from single brain cells with millisecond precision, with no impact on normal tadpole embryo development or behaviour.

These ‘cyborg tadpoles’ offer a glimpse into a future where the brain is better comprehended, and diseases that manifest in early development could be understood, treated, or cured.

“Autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia – these all could happen at early developmental stages,” Jia Liu, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS said in a statement. “There is just no ability currently to measure neural activity during early neural development. Our technology will really enable an uncharted area.”

In vertebrate embryos, the folding and expansion of the neural plate into the neural tube, which is the precursor to the brain and spinal cord, involves complex morphological changes over millisecond time scales, Said Liu. By integrating their stretchable device into the neural plate, the researchers showed they could stably and continuously monitor brain activity during each subsequent embryonic stage.