China researchers build neuron-enlarging brain device using genetic engineering

Gene sequence could be implanted with electrodes to make neurons larger and easier to ‘read’ in quest for better mind control of devices

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Researchers in China said they have used genetic engineering technology to achieve a better quality of signal transmission from a brain implant in mice. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:00pm, 3 Sep 2024Updated: 4:36pm, 25 Sep 2024

Chinese scientists have proposed that genetic engineering could one day be used to alter the brain’s neurons as a way of improving the quality of signal transmission in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology.

The researchers, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ National Centre for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), implanted sensors into a mouse’s brain that carried a genetic instruction to make the neurons larger and easier to “read”.

According to the study published in peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials, the experiments showed the implant – which suppresses the expression of genes that restrict neuron growth – improved brain cell health as well as BCI connections.

The researchers said the results showed the approach could one day improve the quality of signal transmission in existing BCI technologies – such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink – in therapeutic settings and in using the mind to directly control devices.

BCI headache

Rapid advances in the technology have made it possible for users to control mechanical arms and even computer cursors through thought alone. BCI also offers promising therapeutic benefits to paralysis patients by restoring some motor functions.