An approach to detect and mitigate neural disorders using swarm of bionanomachines

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on the possibilities of using bionanomachines to treat neuronal (brain) disorders. Neuronal networks in the brain are an excellent example of nanonetworks that control all major functions of a human body, thereby offering a sound physical and mental health of a human being. In the brain, approximately one hundred billion neurons are connected three-dimensionally with other neurons in order to form immensely complex neuronal nanonetworks. Therefore, there are trillions of connections that exist among neurons in the brain. When neurons get damaged due to disease or accidents, they affect specific human body functions. It has been found that bionanomachines could interact with neurons in brain nanonetworks and thus help treat brain disorders. This paper describes an approach to detect and remedy neural disorders using bionanomachines. We propose the deployment of a swarm of bionanomachines in the brain that can collectively detect synaptic dysfunctions and mitigate it by injecting excitatory therein. Combinatorial enumeration is explored as a potential tool that can allow us to characterize the requirements on detection capabilities of a single nanobiomachine, as well as of the swarm.