If you think remote control cars are fun, just wait until you hear this: Scientists have developed a way to remote control brain cells using magnets.
, a research team at the University College London found a way to attach tiny magnetic particles, or micromagnets, to brain cells called astrocytes. When a stronger magnet is waved overhead, the attached micromagnets essentially act as mechanical switches that encourage the star-shaped astrocytes to run specific functions, giving researchers some degree of control over the brain.
When scientists typically engineer brain cells to do specific tasks in the lab, they genetically alter these cells to be more sensitive to light or to the presence of certain chemicals. As a result, the micromagnet-laden astrocytes essentially activate the part of the brain where they are located. For example, if switched on in the part of the brain that regulates blood pressure , the result is an increase in blood pressure, which is exactly what Yu and his team observed.
“This is one of the strengths of our approach,” said Yu. “Biological tissue does not impede the magnetic field that we apply in any meaningful way. As a result, a magnetic field can reach deep tissue without trouble.” The external magnet could be something as well-known and widely used as an MRI machine.
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