Microcaps to measure the activity of tiny granules implanted in the brain open up prospects for treating neurological diseases

Small, lab-grown models of the human brain can be fitted with caps to measure its activity, just like electroencephalography (EEG) caps that record electrical signals produced by the full-sized human brain. Tiny brains These tiny brains are examples of organelles, three-dimensional masses of living cells grown in a lab that mimic the structure and function of an actual human organ and allow researchers to monitor its development. Researchers often genetically modify them with viruses or expose them to chemicals to study how they change compared to other organisms that are not under any influence. Until now, researchers have only been able to study brain organelles larger than a few cells. While the organelles are spherical in shape, the traditional tools used to study them, such as the Microelectrode Plate Array, which includes electrodes for measuring electrical activity, are flat in shape. The new small cap, created by a team at Johns Hopkins University, can wrap around a brain organelle and allow researchers to take 3-D recordings of the entire surface. This more detailed information can help us better understand how the brain works. One of the uses of this method is to monitor the communication of neurons with each other during

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