ANU researchers have grown a revolutionary "brain-on-a-chip" that could ultimately help patients recover from degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Brain cells were grown on a specially-designed semiconductor wafer, which was patterned with tiny wires to provide a scaffold for cell growth.

Observing the way the cells grew and connected with each other could eventually help researchers repair damaged parts of the brain, lead researcher Dr Vini Gautam said.

"The project will provide new insights into the development of neuro-prosthetics, which can help the brain recover after damage due to an accident, stroke or degenerative neurological diseases," she said.

The study was the first to show that functional, interconnected brain cells could be grown in such a manner.

Project leader Dr Vincent Daria, from the ANU's John Curtin School of Medical Research, said creating a prosthetic brain was far more complicated than making an arm or a leg.

"Unlike other prosthetics like an artificial limb, neurons need to connect synaptically, which form the basis of information processing in the brain during sensory input, cognition, learning and memory," he said.

"Using a particular nanowire geometry, we have shown that the neurons are highly interconnected and predictably form functional circuits."

The research could also break down barriers between the disciplines of neuroscience and nanotechnology, Dr Daria added.

"We were able to make predictive connections between the neurons and demonstrated them to be functional with neurons firing synchronously," he said.

"This work could open up a new research model that builds up a stronger connection between materials nanotechnology [nanomaterial research] and neuroscience."