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For the last several decades, medicine has made great strides using artificial devices to replace damaged organs and body parts. From artificial hips and knee joint replacements to pacemakers and breast implants, these devices are commonly used to fight the diseases of aging and, well, keep people alive.
Now, scientists are turning their attention to the brain...
Key Takeaways
Artificial neurons now behave like real ones, accurately mimicking electrical signaling in the brain.
Potential applications go far beyond the brain, including heart function, breathing, and metabolic control.
Still early-stage but rapidly advancing toward real-world medical use.
Scientists Just Recreated Brain Cells… in Silicon
A scientific team has created tiny "brain chips" that behave exactly like real live brain neurons.
Neurons are core cells not only of the brain, but also of the spinal cord and nervous system, too. They carry information throughout the body via chemical and electrical signals to help coordinate life's functions.
Replacing faulty, severed, or dead neurons with artificial ones has huge potential to heal a wide range of health problems and disabilities. But developing artificial neurons that respond to electrical signals from the nervous system has been a major challenge.
Many different types of stimuli need to be considered, and each one can have a different strength of impulse that requires a different response. If a signal doubles in size, the response could be three times as much or even half as much.
This makes modeling neuronal behavior a Herculean task. Even so, scientists at the University of Bath in England, together with colleagues from New Zealand and Switzerland, became the first in the world to successfully transfer the electrical properties of brain cells on to circuits made from silicon. They published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Artificial Brain Cells for Memory and Learning
The scientists used their artificial brain chips to successfully replicate the behavior of rat cells from the hippocampus. This is a major area of the brain that’s key to memory and learning. They also used their artificial brain chips to replicate respiratory cells from the brain stem that control breathing. They successfully mimicked the complete dynamics of these living neurons in artificial, silicon form. That means these artificial neurons responded to a wide range of stimuli and electrical signals in an almost identical way to their biological equivalents.
Smart Pacemakers Mimic Healthy Heart Tissue
Project leader Alain Nogaret explains the importance of this first-of-its-kind achievement. "Our work is paradigm-changing because it provides a robust method to reproduce the electrical properties of real neurons in minute detail. "But it’s wider than that, because our neurons only need 140 nanowatts of power. That’s a billionth the power requirement of a microprocessor, which other attempts to make synthetic neurons have used. This makes the neurons well-suited for bio-electronic implants to treat chronic diseases.
“For example, we’re developing smart pacemakers that won’t just stimulate the heart to pump at a steady rate but use these neurons to respond in real-time to demands placed on the heart, which is what happens naturally in a healthy heart. "Other possible applications could be in the treatment of conditions like Alzheimer’s and neuronal degenerative diseases more generally.”
Bionic "Brain Chips" Work With Live Brain Cells
New research suggests the field is moving quickly beyond early proof-of-concept “brain chips.”
In 2025, scientists reported artificial neurons that more closely matched biological neurons in key features such as signal amplitude, spiking energy, timing, and frequency response, and even showed they could interact with living cells in real time.
Another study introduced “transneurons” that could reconfigure their activity to mimic different types of cortical neurons, highlighting the possibility of more flexible, brain-like bioelectronic devices. While these advances are exciting, they are still early-stage engineering breakthroughs rather than treatments in humans.
Could Be Useful for Controlling Everything from Blood Pressure to Breathing
Another member of the team, Professor Julian Paton from the University of Auckland, believes the artificial brain chips might one day be used to control blood pressure, manage the release of insulin in diabetics, and kick-start breathing again in patients with sleep apnea.
"Replicating the response of respiratory neurons in bio-electronics that can be miniaturized and implanted," he said, "is very exciting and opens up enormous opportunities for smarter medical devices that drive towards personalized medicine approaches to a range of diseases and disabilities. "We are truly approaching a bionic era in medicine."
Summary
Scientists have developed ultra-low-power artificial “brain chips” that mimic the behavior of real neurons, including those involved in memory, learning, and breathing. These silicon-based neurons can respond to electrical signals just like biological cells, opening the door to advanced bioelectronic implants. Early research suggests potential applications ranging from treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s to creating smarter pacemakers and restoring functions such as breathing and blood pressure regulation. While still in early stages, this breakthrough signals a major step toward a future of personalized, bionic medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are artificial brain chips?
They are silicon-based devices designed to replicate the electrical behavior of real neurons in the brain and nervous system.
Can these brain chips cure Alzheimer’s?
Not yet. They are still in early research stages, but they show promise for future treatments.
How do artificial neurons work?
They mimic how biological neurons respond to electrical signals, allowing them to communicate similarly to real brain cells.
What other conditions could they help treat?
Potential uses include heart disease, paralysis, sleep apnea, blood pressure regulation, and diabetes.
Are these devices available now?
No, they are still in experimental stages and not yet approved for human treatment.
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