Researchers at Duke University successfully performed a surgery on rats that embedded a single electrode in their brains. In tandem with an external device, the electrode gave the rodents an "extra sense," allowing them to have infrared vision.
The recent research was built on a previous experiment by Miguel Nicolelis and Eric Thompson that found a way for rats to have a sense of the infrared world. The details were explained in a paper published in 2013.
The new experiment entailed spacing out electrodes in the animal's sensory cortex. These stimulated the brain every time the rat got closer to a source of infrared light, Popular Science reported. What this means is: the rodents are better able to navigate their way towards goals such as food and water spouts whenever these are placed near infrared emitters.
Researchers noted that it took about a month for the rats to get acquainted with their new sense. The experiment aims to achieve the real world utility of alleviating major sensory deficits in people. The Duke experiment also underscored that their research - which entailed hacking the biology of an organism - is not only for the purpose of restoring normal neurological functions but, most importantly, it is also about expanding natural perceptual capabilities in mammals and humans.
The experiment is in line with previous other works by Nicolelis such as the brain implant that controlled an exoskeleton that could allow paralyzed wearers to move again, New York Times reported.
