Synaptic Communication Engineering for Future Cognitive Brain-machine Interfaces

Abstract

Disease-affected nervous systems exhibit anatomical or physiological impairments that degrade processing, transfer, storage, and retrieval of neural information leading to physical or intellectual disabilities. Brain implants may potentially promote clinical means for detecting and treating neurological symptoms by establishing direct communication between the nervous and artificial systems. Current technology can modify neural function at the supracellular level as in Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and depression. However, recent advances in nanotechnology, nanomaterials, and molecular communications have the potential to enable brain implants to preserve the neural function at the subcellular level which could increase effectiveness, decrease energy consumption, and make the leadless devices chargeable from outside the body or by utilizing the body’s own energy sources. In this study, we focus on understanding the principles of elemental processes in synapses to enable diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases with pathological conditions using biomimetic synaptically interactive brain-machine interfaces. First, we provide an overview of the synaptic communication system, followed by an outline of brain diseases that promote dysfunction in the synaptic communication system. We then discuss technologies for brain implants and propose future directions for the design and fabrication of cognitive brain-machine interfaces. The overarching goal of this paper is to summarize the status of engineering research at the interface between technology and the nervous system and direct the ongoing research towards the point where synaptically interactive brain-machine interfaces can be embedded in the nervous system.

Synaptic Communication Engineering for Future Cognitive Brain-machine Interfaces