Electronics experts creating artificial nerve cell

The report, published in Nature Materials reveals researchers from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have managed to overcome the limitations of existing methods of stimulating nerve cells with electrical stimulation. Current techniques, such as cochlear implants, use electrodes implanted in the brain to activate embedded in the inner ear - however, this method activates all cell types within the vicinity. The new technique involves the use of an electrically conducting plastic – or 'delivery electrode' – which releases the neurotransmitters that brain cells use to communicate naturally. This means that only neighbouring cells with receptors for specific neurotransmitters will be triggered. The researchers now plan to develop a small unit which, when implanted into the body, can be programmed to control neurotransmitters as often as required, depending on a patient's condition. Projects targeted are hearing disabilities, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. One of the project leaders, Prof Agneta Richter-Dahlflors, said: "The ability to deliver exact doses of neurotransmitters opens completely new possibilities for correcting the signalling systems that are faulty in a number of neurological disease conditions."