The neurons have learned how to record information.

A few years ago, neuroscientists learned how to effectively influence a network of neurons (including human ones), forcing them to assume a particular state under the influence of pinpoint electrical pulses. The problem is that after the discharge, the neuron patterns instantly took on another state, so that all the “programming” went down the drain.



Now, for the first time in history, scientists have managed not only to record, but also to preserve information in living neurons. This is a very important step towards the creation of human-machine neural interfaces and microcircuits with implanted neurons. These chips are needed to create brain implants that can be used to embed memories in the human brain and to control neurons.



Researchers from the University of Tel Aviv (Israel) tried to use the poisonous drug picrotoxin to fix patterns in the living neural network. They succeeded. “Frozen” nodes that do not interfere with the normal operation of the rest of the neural network can be considered as information containers suitable for storing information for two days after they have been programmed. Then they “unfreeze” and function further as if nothing had happened. For details, see scientific article ( PDF ).



According to many scientists, the human brain stores information in the form of such “frozen” patterns of connected neurons, creating and fixing them independently. If you look into this system, in the future you can even implant artificial memories into the brain, as well as whole chips that could program these memories in real time, control and correct the natural workings of the brain.

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via New Scientist