Implantable biomimetic microelectronics for the replacement of hippocampal memory function lost due to damage or disease

Summary form only given. Dr. Berger and his colleagues at the University of Southern California are working to develop a microchip-based neural prosthetic for the hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for the formation of long-term memories, and that frequently is damaged as a result of head trauma, epilepsy, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease. The various goals of this effort include: (1) experimental study of neuron and neural network function - how does the brain encode information?, (2) formulation of biologically realistic models of neural system dynamics - can that encoding process be described mathematically so that we can predict how the brain respond to a particular event?, (3) microchip implementation of neural system models - can the mathematical model be realized as a set of electronic circuits to achieve rapid computational speed and miniaturization?, and (4) hybrid neuron-silicon interfaces - can electronic devices be "connected" to neural tissue for bi-directional communication with the brain?. Described as part of the latter effort are recent successes in growing living neurons directly onto silicon-based computer chips. Dr. Berger describes a proof-of-principle of the vision of utilizing biomimetic electronics to restore lost brain function using a hippocampal brain slice preparation. Dr. Berger also describes how the current work in brain slices can be extended to behaving animals in the near future.