The integrated circuit (chip) measures only 2.2 millimetres by 1.1 millimetres and allows, among other things, insights into pain and inflammation. (Photo: Integrated Systems Laboratory)
The integrated circuit (chip) measures only 2.2 millimetres by 1.1 millimetres and allows, among other things, insights into pain and inflammation. (Photo: Integrated Systems Laboratory) - Researchers at ETH Zurich - in collaboration with colleagues from EPFL in Lausanne and Harvard Medical School - have developed a system that allows them to optically stimulate individual nerve fibres in living mice. Through this process, they have demonstrated that the nervous system has a direct influence on the immune system. Over the last ten years, a new method has literally shed more light on the brain. "Optogenetics" allows scientists to deliberately stimulate genetically modified nerve cells and thoroughly investigate their functioning within the complex network inside the skull. This technique represents a revolution in neuroscience, but to date, it could only be applied to study the central nervous system, but not the peripheral nervous system. Miniaturisation through chip technology .
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