Groundbreaking brain-on-a-chip promises medical discoveries

It's a milestone for the medical community, yet you wouldn't have to
be a neurologist to understand it. That's because this
brain-cell-scanning microchip can study human gray matter at unheard of
resolutions, yet pretty much does all the science-y work itself.













Researchers at the University of Calgary are no strangers to scanning
brain cells, as according to the school it was its faculty that "proved
it is possible to cultivate a network of brain cells that reconnect on a
silicon chip." In other words, the brain cells communicate with one
another in a meaningful way that can be studied.

The new chip improves on others in the field as not only can it track
entire networks braincells at once, but it sees the activity in and
around cells down to "ion channels and synaptic potentials." What's that
mean for the rest of us? New insights into neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The best part is that the chip is also automated and doesn't require
all the specialized training that other brain-scanners take to use.
Instead, a team of doctors could perform a study without the need of,
say, a technician.