New Artificial Neurons Will Help Heart Patients
Neurodegenerative
diseases and heart disease have long been a major cause of concern for
countless patients and their families across the globe. People who
suffer from Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders, as well
as heart failure face insurmountable challenges that can, at times, be
impossible to overcome.
However, hope might be on the horizon!
Artificial neurons - a new discovery that might help fight heart ailments
The
researchers have explained that these artificial neurons could help
replace the neurons that have been lost to degenerative diseases. This
is primarily the case in people who use medical implants to treat
conditions like heart failure and Alzheimer's.
The
team successfully modeled and obtained equations to explain how neurons
respond to electrical stimuli from other nerves. This is a complicated
process as the responses are non-linear. Then they went on to
design silicon chips that precisely imitated real, living neurons and
responded to a vast series of stimulations.
The research team accurately
duplicated the entire dynamics of hippocampal neurons and respiratory
neurons in rats. This was performed under a broad range of stimuli.
"Until now, neurons have been like black boxes, but we have managed to open the black box and peer inside," research lead Alain Nogaret was quoted as saying to the press. "Our work is paradigm-changing because it provides a robust method to reproduce the electrical properties of real neurons in minute detail,” he added.
"Until now, neurons have been like black boxes, but we have managed to open the black box and peer inside," research lead Alain Nogaret was quoted as saying to the press. "Our work is paradigm-changing because it provides a robust method to reproduce the electrical properties of real neurons in minute detail,” he added.
How will artificial neurons help fight different health conditions?
It
is being said that these artificial neurons will behave like the real
thing, meaning that they will replicate what nerve cells do naturally.
Neurons carry nerve signals from the brain to the rest of the body. The
neurons in people who have dementia generally decay or die. That is
where these artificial neurons could help replace those decaying neurons
and potentially cure or bring some relief to those patients.
Artificial
neurons will have the ability to repair the infected bio-circuits by
duplicating their healthy function and responding to biological feedback
to revive bodily functions.
For
instance, in some cases of heart failure, the neurons in the human
brain fail to respond to the feedback from the nervous system. The heart
thus doesn’t receive the proper signals from the nervous system and
doesn’t pump the way it should. The artificial neurons’ ability to
replicate healthy functions of the bio-circuit will help in transferring
feedback to the nervous system, in this case, and respond in a way as
when this brain to heart connection was healthy.
The
same will also apply in case of a spinal cord injury where the neurons'
processes have been cut off, and the artificial neurons will be able to
reconnect the neural pathways in the place of injury.
How feasible are these artificial neurons?
The
researchers are now working on developing smart pacemakers which, with
the help of these artificial neurons, will help in stirring the heart
into action. Basically, pacemakers will use the artificial neurons to
react to the immediate pressure being put on the heart.
At
present, the focus of the researchers is on heart failure as they
believe that this new technology will offer significant improvements in
the life of heart patients.
"Beyond heart failure any
neurodegenerative disease or disease of ion channels would naturally
benefit from artificial neurons. Seizures, Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease are diseases that come to mind and where there is a
need for novel solutions in the medical community,” they added.
Interestingly, these chips require only 140 nanoWatts of power - that's only one billionth of the power of a microprocessor which makes them highly convenient for implants.
To know more about artificial neurons and how they may help heart attack patients, watch the video below.
The future?
This could be a revolutionary step in modern science and medical devices. It also opens up various horizons for people who suffer from neurological ailments and particularly those who have suffered from heart failure. Here is hoping that this would eventually genuinely help in making life easier for heart attack patients and others with degenerative diseases.
Interestingly, these chips require only 140 nanoWatts of power - that's only one billionth of the power of a microprocessor which makes them highly convenient for implants.
To know more about artificial neurons and how they may help heart attack patients, watch the video below.
The future?
This could be a revolutionary step in modern science and medical devices. It also opens up various horizons for people who suffer from neurological ailments and particularly those who have suffered from heart failure. Here is hoping that this would eventually genuinely help in making life easier for heart attack patients and others with degenerative diseases.