Geordi La Forge, the chief engineer of the USS Enterprise-D, could perceive a large swath of electromagnetic spectrum with his wraparound VISOR prosthetic. Now a few rats have received real-life prototypes of these Star Trek props.

Researchers in the lab of brain–machine interface ace Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University Medical Center have outfitted rodents with prosthetics that enable them to "see" and respond to otherwise invisible infrared light. The experiment points toward the prospect, for the moment still a futurist's overheated fantasy, of enhancing humans with a sixth or seventh sense or, perhaps, like a VISOR, an ability to detect a full-spectrum of electromagnetic emanations. It also suggests new paths for neuroscientists to explore the mixing of different sensory inputs and neural proceses to produce new forms of perception.

Reporting February 12 in the online journal Nature Communications, Nicolelis and colleagues recounted how they trained six rats on a standard lab task that taught them to stick their snouts in one of three holes in the side of a chamber when a light in one of the cavities switched on, an action rewarded with a sip of water. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.) They then implanted microelectrodes in the rats’ primary sensory cortex, an area that processes sensations of touch. These electrical stimulators were subsequently connected to a forehead-mounted infrared detector. Once the animals were back in the test chamber, the experiment was repeated, with visible lights gradually being replaced by infrared ones in the three holes.

At first the rats appeared somewhat confused, poking the holes in the chamber at random, possibly because the “wrong” portion of the cortex (the part that normally process touch) was interpreting the electrical signals for visual cues. Gradually, their behavior changed and they began to respond more as they had to the visible-spectrum LEDs during training, a sign that their brains were adapting to seeing in the infrared. The same area of the cortex also continued to respond normally to whisker touches as well as the infrared signals. Take a look at this video made with an infrared camera:

"This is a very nice paper that clearly demonstrates the great potential of even the primary sensory cortex, even in a rat, to use completely new information when delivered to the cortex in electrical pulses," says Jon Kaas, a professor of cell and developmental biology at Vanderbilt University and an expert on sensory and motor system organization. "The authors correctly see that this method of delivery can be used to replace lost sensory inputs and to provide new sensory abilities."

5 Comments

1. 1. karenalcott 03:51 PM 2/13/13

   Dear Lord, first we have dung beetles in bonnetts, now we have rats in shades.
   But seriously, with the spread of technology it's about time we gave the disabled a real shot at competeing. With global competition being as fierce as it is these days no country can afford to write off any pool of talent.
   With industrial, military and/or popular lesiure applications these technologies could all become available to the average citizen in time. Keep up the good work, Duke U.
   As a blue collar girl, I always wanted that suit Sigourney Weaver had in Aliens II, now they are being developed for the military, someday they will be found on loading docks and after that chair bound folks will start walking around at will.

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2. 2. willfree 11:28 AM 2/14/13

   I frequently wear a device which allows me to detect invisible waves. This device converts these otherwise undetectable waves into electronic signals that travel through wires to tiny gadgets placed in my ears. The gadgets convert these signals into audible sound waves. My ears convert the sound back to electronic signals sent through nerves and directly into my brain. Thus I am able to walk around town "hearing" radio waves. Usually NPR.

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3. 3. darklight_413 05:13 PM 2/14/13

   I completely agree with experimenting on animals as long as the animal fully agrees in writing. Otherwise it's just primitive and barbaric and is little more than pulling the wings off flies for me. I don't care what it is. Use humans instead. But then, this is Duke, the university that brought you the racist rave and that chanted "how's your grandmother" during a basketball game to the basketball player who'd grandmother had just died.

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4. 4. Wayne Williamson 05:35 PM 2/14/13

   Interesting article...doubt if the x-ray portion will work with our current tech..read Chandra would not be wearable.
   
   For poster willfree...I was going to ask how you would get around listening to radio, but I guess, they usually tell you where to go;-)
   
   For darklight...maybe a paw print would be sufficient...as a side note I kill several rats a month in my yard using poison and have no remorse...test away...
   

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5. 5. joenn 07:23 PM 2/14/13

   When the rats start saying "We are Borg. Resistance is futile." Then we may have goen too far.

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