Engineered Electrical Synapses in Mammals Could Revolutionize Mental Health Treatment
A light micrograph of a section of a whole mouse brain, with nerve cells colourfully labelled
ARTHUR CHIEN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
The field of neuroscience has reached a major breakthrough with the artificial engineering of electrical synapses in mammals. These engineered synapses are capable of altering the behavior of mammals and hold great promise for the treatment of various mental health conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
In the brain, synapses are the connections between nerve cells that allow for the transmission of signals. These synapses can be either electrical or chemical in nature. While chemical synapses, which rely on neurotransmitters, are more common in mammals, electrical synapses operate through proteins known as connexins.
