Brain Implant Can Mind Control Mice with Press of a Button

First Posted: Jul 16, 2015 03:30 PM EDT

Mind control isn't just science fiction. Researchers have designed a brain implant that can control the actions of mice with the press of a button.

"It unplugs a world of possibilities for scientists to learn how brain circuits work in a more natural setting," said Michael R. Bruchas, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The researchers working on this project usually study circuits that control a variety of disorders, including stress, depression, addiction and pain. Typically, scientists who study these circuits have to choose between injecting drugs through bulky metal tubes and delivering lights through fiber optic cables. Both of these options require surgery that can damage parts of the brain and introduce experimental conditions that inhibit animals' natural movements.

In order to address these issues, the researchers decided to create a remote controlled, optofluidic implant. The device itself is made out of soft materials that are a tenth the diameter of a human hair and can simultaneously deliver drugs and lights. The device has a thickness of 80 micrometers and a width of 500 micrometers; this makes it thinner than the metal tubes that scientists typically use to inject drugs.

The researchers tested the device's drug delivery potential by surgically placing it into the brains of mice. In some experiments, they showed that they could precisely map circuits by using the implant to inject viruses that label cells with genetic dyes. In other experiments, they made mice walk in circles by injecting a drug that mimics morphine into the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a region that controls motivation and addiction.

"This is the kind of revolutionary tool development that neuroscientists need to map out brain circuit activity," said James Gnadt, one of the researchers.

The scientists also provided detail instructions for manufacturing the implant in the study. They believe that crowdsources the approach is a great way to understand normal and healthy brain circuitry.

The findings are published in the journal Cell.