A wireless brain implant which is also battery-free is capable of monitoring dopamine impulses in the brain in real-time in tiny animal models has been created by scientists, a breakthrough that might assist in understanding the function neurochemicals play in neurological illnesses.
The gadget, described in a paper published in the journal ACS Nano, uses light to activate or inhibit particular neurons in the brain, a process known as optogenetic stimulation. According to John Rogers, Ph.D., the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurological Surgery, and a co-author of the study, it also records dopamine activity in freely behaving subjects without the need for bulky or prohibitive sensing equipment.
“This technology enables neuroscientists to monitor and modify brain activity in mice—a highly important kind of animal model for neuroscience investigations,” Rogers added.
“The device’s small size, incredibly light design, and wireless, battery-free functioning allow behavioural research that would otherwise be impossible. We can see how the brain functions while an animal moves and interacts freely in realistic situations, whether as solitary individuals or in socially engaged groups.”
To build the gadget, researchers first created a tiny dopamine sensor using carbon-fibre composite electrodes for maximum sensitivity. They then used laser-patterning and thin film deposition to build a small, flexible implant by implementing wireless, battery-free electronic circuits powered by external transmission antennas.
According to the study’s authors, the gadget is 50 times lighter and 10 times smaller than the most modern option. The wireless brain implant was able to stimulate brain areas and monitor dopamine activity in mouse models in response to opioid and naloxone exposures in the research.
According to Philipp Gutruf, Ph.D., associate professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona and senior author of the paper, the technology will be valuable in investigating how neurochemicals impact behaviour, addiction, and the development of neurological illnesses.
“Neurochemical composition in the brain is an area that is not as well known as electrical activity due to present research instrument limitations,” said Gutruf, a former postdoctoral researcher in the Rogers group. “Neurochemical composition, on the other hand, seems to be critical in the treatment and diagnosis of neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Our findings will aid the neuroscience community in understanding underlying processes and validating novel therapeutic possibilities.”
According to Rogers, the study’s authors intend to enhance the gadget and make it commercially available in the future.
“We aim to expand the chemical sensing capabilities to other neurotransmitters than dopamine and enable it to interface with various parts of the brain at the same time,” said Rogers, who is also a member of Northwestern University’s Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We’d also want to be able to make this technology accessible to the larger community of neuroscientists at a cheap cost to help them with their own research endeavours.”
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