TRAILBLAZER: Non-electrical Mechanisms of Neuronal Excitation - A New Direction for Brain-computer Interfaces and Neuroengineering

Northwestern University At Chicago, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

Harnessing the unique power of the human brain to achieve disruptive advances in human health, computing, and robotics is a grand challenge for engineering. For example, the possibility of interfacing computers directly to neuron cells in the brain has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of neurological disorders. This project will explore a new approach to connecting brain cells to machines. Current technologies rely on electrical stimulation that often damages delicate brain tissue. This project explores a bold new idea: that nerve signals, long thought to be purely electrical, may also carry a mechanical signal that travels along the nerve membrane like a wave. To explore this new idea, the proposed research will create biocompatible, synthetic neurons that mimic real nerve behavior, but without the electrical current – instead the signal will be carried by a gentler mechanical wave. This could lead to safer and more effective brain-machine interfaces and will also lay the foundation for new computing systems that emulate the brain using soft, organic materials. Students involved in the research will be trained in an interdisciplinary environment that integrates physics, engineering, and neuroscience to create the next generation of scientists and engineers ready to tackle the challenges of these emerging frontiers. The project will also develop K-12 educational materials for use in the Chicago School District, the fourth largest school district in the U.S. This project will evaluate the unorthodox hypothesis that action potentials, the canonical electrical signals in neurons, are not purely electrical but also electromechanical in nature. Emerging studies suggest that mechanical membrane deformations co-propagate with electrical spikes during neuronal excitation. Building on this information, the proposed research will develop synthetic, protein-free membrane systems that exhibit spike-like mechanical excitability driven solely by physical instabilities. The research plan combines theoretical modeling of membrane electromechanics, numerical simulations of nonlinear wave propagation, and experiments using model bilayer membranes triggered by external stimuli such as mechanical, thermal or optical perturbations. These artificial membranes will serve as simplified analogues of neuronal membranes, enabling direct investigation of mechanical excitability in the absence of ion channels or electrical feedback. Through this approach, the proposed research seeks to uncover physical principles that support mechanically driven excitability and establish a foundation for organic neuromorphic components based on these principles, leading to a paradigm shift in how neuronal signaling is understood and emulated. By integrating concepts in soft matter physics and biomembrane mechanics with neuroengineering, the project will potentially open new routes for neuron-inspired function, neuromorphic design, and development of neuroprosthetic technologies. The research outcomes may have broader implications for the development of biocompatible, high-precision brain-machine interfaces and soft-matter-based computing systems. Anticipated Transformative Impact: Neuro-prosthetic Implants e.g. cochlear implants for hearing restoration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.