Chip May Restore Lost Brain Function

A silicon chip now in development could help restore the short-term
memories of people suffering from strokes, epilepsy or Alzheimer's
disease. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles say
the implant would replace a part of the brain called the hippocampus,
which stores memories.

The chip, which mimics the way in which a rat's hippocampus reacts
to stimuli, is being tested on pieces of rat brain kept alive in the
laboratory. Researchers hope to test it on rats next year. Human trials
are several years away, says Samuel A. Deadwyler, Ph.D., of Wake Forest
University, who heads the animal testing.

If it works, the chip is likely to raise questions about the
relationship between the organic brain and the sense of self. "Are our
brains simply complex computer programs that can be replaced piece by
piece?" asks Kari Swarztrauber, M.D., M.P.H., a neurologist at Oregon
Health and Science University.