An important step in building the future cableless brain-computer interface: wireless devices use light to "talk to the brain"

A team from Northwestern University in the United States has made a major breakthrough at the intersection of neurobiology and bioelectronics, developing a wireless device that uses light to "talk to the brain". This technology, which uses light to transmit information directly to the brain, is seen as an important step in building future cableless brain-computer interfaces. The relevant paper was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience on the 8th.

Soft and flexible, this tiny device implants under the scalp, clings to the surface of the skull, and sends precisely controlled patterns of light through the bones, bypassing the body's natural sensory pathways and directly activating specific neuronal groups in the cerebral cortex.

This technology builds on the team's first wireless, battery-free, fully implantable optogenetic device, but with a key upgrade. The new device is equipped with an array of 64 micro-LEDs, each hair-thick, capable of sending complex light sequences to the brain through wireless programming.

This multi-regional, programmable design simulates distributed patterns of brain activity in natural sensations, so that the messages transmitted are no longer simple switching signals, but rather similar to the distributed cortical network activity in natural sensory experiences.

During the experiment, the team used tiny, precisely timed light pulses to stimulate specific genetically modified neurons deep in the brains of mice, and the mice quickly learned to interpret specific light pulse patterns as meaningful cues, using these artificial signals to make decisions and accurately complete tasks such as finding rewards, even in the absence of external sensory inputs such as sight, hearing or touch.

John M. By integrating the micro-LED array with a wirelessly powered control module, they created a new system that can be programmed in real time, completely hidden under the skin, and does not affect natural behavior, according to A. Rogers.

This technology has shown broad application prospects in the medical field, including providing sensory feedback for prosthetics, providing artificial input for visual or auditory prostheses, modulating pain perception without the use of drugs, and assisting in rehabilitation after stroke or trauma. The team is currently planning to test more complex stimulation patterns and explore the limits of the brain's ability to learn different patterns.

【Editor-in-Chief】

Researchers have developed a wireless device that allows the brain to talk directly to light, without the need for batteries and wires, like a lightweight Bluetooth headset. This device uses light to transmit information to the brain, and even when there are no other sensory pathways, specific areas of the brain can still be activated by complex light sequences, even if other organs are damaged. This technology opens up new possibilities in many fields and provides real tactile feedback to prosthetic users. It can send specific signals to the brain so that the visually impaired can feel light and the hearing impaired can feel sound. With the development of technology, the way the human brain interacts with machines and even the world may be redefined.