09 december 2020
12:01
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In the race to better understand our brains, the Leuven research institute Imec is taking an important step. A new type of wireless microchips should finally provide insight into diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or depression. “We beat Elon Musk on three fronts.”
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How our brain works is largely terra incognita to science. But for a number of years now, substantial investments have been made in brain tech, technology that allows us to better map the activity of the brain. Billionaire Elon Musk, the visionary entrepreneur behind Tesla (electric cars, batteries) and SpaceX (space travel), among others, jumped on the cart with his company Neuralink.
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A better understanding of the brain is the holy grail of tackling advancing brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, but also depression and addiction cravings or burnouts. ‘We know that all these disorders leave a signature in the brain. They have to do with an overactivity in a particular place, or a lack of neural connections. If we can map that out, we can better intervene with certain stimulation or medication, ‘says Kathleen Philips, the director of Imec in Eindhoven, the Dutch division where this research is carried out.
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However, that understanding requires very complex technology. ‘The brain is much more complicated to fathom than, for example, how the heart works,’ says Philips. ‘It takes an enormous amount of computing power to capture all the information.’
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Inflammation
Research often comes up against limits. To monitor the brain, implants are used that are connected to a computer via a wire. ‘But they are very drastic to contribute. There is the risk of inflammation, for example, and it is difficult to follow people in ‘their normal behavior’ because you have that wiring. ‘
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Wireless systems are needed to really do in-depth research. “The technicality required for this is enormous,” explains Philips. “You need super small but super powerful instruments, with microscopic batteries and low power, because you have to implant them in the body.”
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We are a long way from connecting your brain with your smartphone. It will be a big step for science to understand exactly what is happening. We focus on that.
Yao-Hong Liu
Imec researcher
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A few months ago, Neuralink came up with such a technology. Imec is now announcing that its 43-year-old researcher Yao-Hong Liu has received a grant of 2 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC) for his Intranet of Neurons (IoN) project. These grants are traditionally awarded to groundbreaking research that has the potential to leave an important mark on the future European industry.
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“I had been waiting for the news for a few weeks,” Liu responds on the phone from Eindhoven. ‘I had already set up a notification system so that I received a notification on my phone and smartphone with every new message from the ERC. In the end I saw the email first, ‘he laughs.
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To play the piano
‘We want to push the boundaries with this research on three fronts’, he explains. One: for the Neuralink system you have to make a large hole in the skull. Our microchips are only 5 square millimeters in size and are much easier to insert. ‘
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‘Two: Neuralink processes 1 to 2 megabits per second, we go to 500 megabits. You need those hundreds to really read what is happening in the brain. To give you an idea: it is the difference between having a paralyzed person operate an artificial arm to lift a cup and having that piano play. ‘
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‘Three: the Neuralink system is in one place, we work with a network of 10 to 16 points, so that we can cover all parts of the brain.’
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Liu received a PhD in Taiwan and specialized in energy-efficient wireless communication systems. ‘First in mobile phones, but I found these types of applications, which are much closer to humans, much more interesting. Think of wearables or implants. That is why I came to Imec in 2010. ‘
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Therapy
For this project he is collaborating with the American Stanford University. ‘In three to five years’ time we want neuroscientists to do real tests with this.’ In the first instance, this research will be aimed at diagnosis and understanding, but in the second instance the chips can also be used in treatments, for example by stimulating or inactivating certain parts of the brain.
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Liu and Philips do not want to talk about the super connection between man and machine that Musk dreams of with his Neuralink. ‘We are a long way from connecting your brain to your smartphone. It will be a big step for science to understand exactly what is happening. We focus on that. ‘
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