A nanoparticle with a diameter of 5-100 nm consists of 103-106 atoms. Threadlike and film-like particles may contain considerably more atoms and have even two linear sizes, but their properties remain characteristic of a substance having a nanocrystalline structure. The ratio of linear sizes of nanoparticles allows them to be viewed as one-, two- or three-dimensional (1D-, 2D- and 3D-nanoparticles, respectively). They are usually referred to as nanostructures.

Nanomaterials can be made up of inorganic compounds (metals, carbon derivatives and others) and organic, including natural compounds (proteins, fatty acids, nucleic acids). The latter constitute one of the sections of nanotechnology – nanobiotechnology or biomolecular nanotechnology.

The medical additions of nanotechnology have contributed to the emergence of a new scientific field: nanomedicine. It encompasses such sections as tracking, repairing, constructing and controlling human biological systems at the molecular level with the help of engineered nanodevices and nanomaterials, enabling operations from diagnostics and monitoring to the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms, restoration of damaged organs, supplying necessary substances to the body.

According to the forecasts of the American association National Science Foundation, the market volume of goods and services using nanotechnology may amount to 1 trillion U.S. dollars in the next 10-15 years. The global market for nanodevices will grow by an average of 28% per year.

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The field of brain implants is staggering in its scope. The main goal of most research is to create a bio-device that can stimulate certain areas of the brain. With the help of such influence it is realistic to restore vision and hearing after a stroke or head trauma, to alleviate the manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. The technology can also restore motor abilities in paralyzed patients.

In addition, some companies and research groups suggest the possibility of using neurochips to create neurocomputer interfaces. That is, such systems form a two-way or one-way direct connection between the computer and the brain to exchange information. At the same time, experiments on animals are regularly carried out; they are used both for the preliminary stage of tests before introduction to humans, and for measurements of brain activity for purely scientific purposes.

Brain implant systems are usually a direct chip, a battery for power, and a computer for control and imaging. The chip sends, blocks or records (and records and stimulates simultaneously) the electrical impulses of either an individual neuron or entire groups in specific parts of the brain. Until recently, the use of brain implants was limited or considered impossible due to the computational power of the computer and insufficient development of neurophysiology.

The power of thought

Before organizing full-fledged clinical trials in humans, scientists test developments and drugs on animals. In the case of brain implants, experiments on other biological species may be dictated not only by the need to comply with established rules, but also by the observation of brain activity of a particular species.

For example, back in 2006 the Medical College of Georgia conducted an experiment to study the process of functional adaptation of the brain in the process of learning sensory distinction. Monkeys’ brains were stimulated with electrodes and tried to teach them the connection between sound changes and rewards.

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