(June 24, 2015) Scientists
at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet have managed to build a fully functional
neuron by using organic bioelectronics. This artificial neuron contain no
‘living’ parts, but is capable of mimicking the function of a human nerve cell
and communicate in the same way as our own neurons do.
Neurons are isolated from each other and communicate with
the help of chemical signals, commonly called neurotransmitters or signal
substances. Inside a neuron, these chemical signals are converted to an
electrical action potential, which travels along the axon of the neuron until it reaches the end. Here at
the synapse, the electrical signal is converted to the release of chemical
signals, which via diffusion can relay the signal to the next nerve cell.
To date, the primary technique for neuronal stimulation in
human cells is based on electrical stimulation. However, scientists at the
Swedish Medical Nanoscience Centre (SMNC) at Karolinska Institutet in
collaboration with collegues at Linköping University, have now created an
organic bioelectronic device that is capable of receiving chemical signals,
which it can then relay to human cells.
“Our artificial neuron is made of conductive polymers and it
functions like a human neuron”, says lead investigator Agneta Richter-Dahlfors,
professor of cellular microbiology. “The
sensing component of the artificial neuron senses a change in chemical signals
in one dish, and translates this into an electrical signal. This electrical
signal is next translated into the release of the neurotransmitter
acetylcholine in a second dish, whose effect on living human cells can be
monitored.“