Biohybrid circuits / Journal of Neural Engineering, 2023
Restoring a neural loop.
An artificial connection uses ongoing hippocampal activity to restore communication across a disrupted circuit.
The question
Can stimulation restore communication across a disrupted hippocampal circuit by following its own ongoing activity?
The study
In a brain-slice model, CA3 interictal discharges triggered stimulation at the subiculum. This created an artificial route for hippocampal output to reach the entorhinal cortex.
The paper reports reduced or absent ictal activity in the slice experiments and restored functional connectivity under the tested conditions. The central idea is to let activity from a biological circuit set the timing of an artificial connection.
Read the paper
Published article in Journal of Neural Engineering · PubMed record
The network drawing above is a synthetic conceptual illustration. It does not show the experimental circuit, anatomy, or measured connectivity.