Northwestern Engineers Print Artificial Neurons That Communicate With Living Brain Cells

Engineers at Northwestern University published a study on April 15 in Nature Nanotechnology demonstrating printed artificial neurons that talk back to real ones. The flexible, low-power devices generated lifelike electrical signals capable of triggering responses in living mouse brain tissue, an advance that could reshape brain-machine interfaces and neural prosthetics for sensory and movement disorders.

The team — led by Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering — used aerosol jet printing to deposit electronic inks of molybdenum disulfide (a semiconductor) and graphene (a conductor) onto flexible polymer substrates. Earlier artificial neurons could only generate simple, one-off pulses. The new design produced single spikes, continuous firing and bursting patterns that mirror how real neurons actually communicate.

“The flexible, low-power devices generated lifelike electrical signals capable of triggering responses in living mouse brain tissue, an advance that could reshape brain-machine interfaces and neural prosthetics for sensory and movement disorders.”

In experiments with mouse brain slices, the artificial neurons successfully evoked responses in real neurons, suggesting that future implants could speak the brain's electrical language fluently. Co-author Mark Hersam said the work "brings electronics one step closer to working with the body the way it really works," opening doors to lower-power, more biocompatible bionic systems.

The researchers caution that human applications remain years away — devices must be tested for long-term stability and safety, and clinical translation depends on regulatory pathways. Still, the result is a meaningful proof-of-concept: a printable, low-cost neural interface that could one day help restore hearing, vision or motor control for millions of patients.