A team of scientists have claimed that they have developed a brain implant that matches to the brain surface and melts into the place.

Researcher David Kaplan who is the biomedical engineering at Tufts University says that the implant developed has ultra-thin electrode which are affixed to the film which is made from highly refined liquid silk.

He explained that the implant is thin enough to follow the folds and curves of a human brain however is at the same time is strong enough to allow complex electronic circuitry to be embedded on it.

These implants can be used to cure epilepsy, spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders, according to Walter Koroshetz, M. D., deputy director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

At present thicker implants made with electrodes affixed to silicon grids are used. The new implants are more accurate in reading in recording brain activity. The implants are about 500 microns thick and flexible causing less damage to the brain tissues.

The implants "better track brain function with higher resolution and sensitivity to determine where things are malfunctioning," said Mr. Kaplan.

He further said that the printed circuitry could be used for delivering the electrical stimuli to certain parts of the brain and improves treatment. Then, the implants could be used to first detect and then interrupt seizures by delivering electronic pulses that would stop the abnormal brain activity.

The silk implants are optically clear and thus allow medical personnel to place it without having their vision blocked. The silk can be designed to dissolve leaving the printed electrodes.

The study was published in Nature Materials and it was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.