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Nanotechnology, the Brain, and the Future pp 21–41Cite as

Applications of Nanotechnology to the Brain and Central Nervous System

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Part of the book series: Yearbook of Nanotechnology in Society ((YNTS,volume 3))

Abstract

In Reshaping the Human Condition: Exploring Human Enhancement, a recent report by the Rathenau Institute, in collaboration with the British Embassy in the Hague and the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, Professor the Lord Winston, Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College dismisses any concern about the application of nanotechnology research to the field of neuroscience as too nascent and inconclusive (Zonneveld et al. 2008). No other mention of nanotechnology occurs in the report. This view is common. In informal conversations with a number of leading researchers in the field of neural prosthetics, our colleague found little knowledge of nanotechnology or expectation that it would have any significant impact on the field for the near future. Current neural prosthetics technologies operate at the micrometer scale range, at the smallest, and this was deemed as sufficient for the design of neural implant devices (Robert, personal communication). Imagine our surprise, then, when a search of Web of Science generated over 10,000 research articles at the intersection of nanotechnology and neuroscience.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University, 875603, AZ, 85287-5603, Tempe, USA

    Christina Nulle & Clark A. Miller

  2. School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, 685 Cherry Street, GA, 30332-0345, Atlanta, USA

    Alan Porter & Harmeet Singh Gandhi

Authors
  1. Christina Nulle
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  2. Clark A. Miller
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  3. Alan Porter
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  4. Harmeet Singh Gandhi
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Correspondence to Clark A. Miller .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University, PO Box 875603, TEMPE, 85287-5603, USA

    Sean A. Hays

  2. , The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University, PO BOX 875603, Tempe, 85287-5603, Arizona, USA

    Jason Scott Robert

  3. , The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University, PO Box 875603, Tempe, 85287-5603, Arizona, USA

    Clark A. Miller

  4. , The Center for Nanotechnology in Society, Arizona State University, PO BOX 875603, Tempe, 85287-5603, Arizona, USA

    Ira Bennett

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Nulle, C., Miller, C.A., Porter, A., Gandhi, H.S. (2013). Applications of Nanotechnology to the Brain and Central Nervous System. In: Hays, S., Robert, J., Miller, C., Bennett, I. (eds) Nanotechnology, the Brain, and the Future. Yearbook of Nanotechnology in Society, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1787-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1787-9_2

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