
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
System-on-a-nanoparticle are designed to convert the brain’s electrical activity to optical signals detectable outside the body
Researchers have developed nanoscale sensors that could be injected into the body to noninvasively track brain activity using light. The approach could one day offer a new way to study the brain or assess patients’ brain functioning without the need for surgery or implanted devices.
Ali Yanik’s lab at UCSC’s Baskin School of Engineering will report on the technology, called NeuroSWARM3, at the virtual OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress held 19-23 July. Neil Hardy, a graduate student in Yanik’s lab, is scheduled to present their findings on Tuesday, 20 July at 20:00 PDT. The congress is co-located with the OSA Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress.
“NeuroSWARM3 can convert thoughts (brain signals) to remotely measurable signals for high precision brain-machine interfacing,” said Yanik. “It will enable people suffering from physical disabilities to effectively interact with external world and control wearable exoskeleton technology to overcome limitations of the body. It could also pick up early signatures of neural diseases.”
The approach offers a new way to monitor electrical activity in the brain using a system-on-nanoparticle probe that is comparable in size to a viral particle. Neurons use electrical signals to convey information to each other, making these signals crucial to thought, memory and movement. While there are many established methods for tracking the brain’s electrical activity, most require surgery or implanted devices to penetrate the skull and interface directly with neurons.
The researchers named their new technology Neurophotonic Solution-dispersible Wireless Activity Reporters for Massively Multiplexed Measurements, or NeuroSWARM3.
The approach involves introducing engineered electro-plasmonic nanoparticles into the brain that convert electrical signals into optical signals, allowing brain activity to be tracked with an optical detector from outside the body.
The nanoparticles consist of a silicon oxide core measuring 63 nanometers across with a thin layer of electrochromically loaded poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and a gold coating 5 nanometer thick. Because their coating allows them to cross the blood-brain barrier, they could be injected into the bloodstream or directly into the cerebrospinal fluid.
Once in the brain, the nanosensors are highly sensitive to local changes in the electric field. In laboratory tests, in vitro prototypes of the NeuroSWARM3 were able to generate a signal-to-noise ratio of over 1,000, a sensitivity level that is suitable for detecting the electrical signal generated when a single neuron fires.
“We pioneered use of electrochromic polymers (e.g., PEDOT:PSS), for optical (wireless) detection of electrophysiological signals,” Yanik added. “Electrochromic materials known to have optical properties that can be reversibly modulated by an external field are conventionally used for smart glass/mirror applications.”
NeuroSWARM can be thought of nanoscale electrochromically loaded plasmonic (electro-plasmonic) antenna operated in reverse: instead of applying a known voltage, its optical properties are modulated by the spiking electrogenic cells within its vicinity. Hence, NeuroSWARM3 provides a far-field bioelectric signal detection capability in a single nanoparticle device that packs, wireless powering, electrophysiological signal detection and data broadcasting capabilities at nanoscale dimensions.
The optical signals generated by NeuroSWARM3 particles can be detected from outside of the brain using near-infrared light with wavelengths between 1,000-1,700 nm. The nanoparticles can function indefinitely without requiring a power source or wires.
Other researchers have explored a similar approach using quantum dots designed to respond to electrical fields. Comparing the two technologies, the researchers found NeuroSWARM3 generates an optical signal that is four orders of magnitude larger. Quantum dots required ten times higher light intensity and one hundred times more probes to generate a comparable signal.
“We are just at the beginning stages of this novel technology, but I think we have a good foundation to build on,” said Yanik. “Our next goal is to start experiments in animals.”
In addition to Yanik, the co-authors of this study include UCSC graduate students Neil Hardy, Ahsan Habib, and undergraduate researcher Tanya Ivanov.
Original Article: Tiny, Injectable Sensors Could Monitor Brain Activity without Surgery or Implants
More from: The Optical Society | University of California Santa Cruz
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Injectable sensors
- Kistler's AkvisIO Software Offers Synchronous, Cross-system Data Analysis
With the new AkvisIO IME (Injection Molding Edition) data analysis software, Kistler is helping its customers take another step toward the digitalization of injection molding.
- Metal Injection Molding: PIM International, the industry magazine
Since the earliest days of Metal Injection Moulding’s commercialisation in Europe, in the early 1990s, Swiss company Parmaco Metal Injection Molding AG has been instrumental in perfecting the process ...
- Why Women Hate the Pill
She switched to a pill that was supposed to help manage the unwanted side effects, but her headaches became unbearable, often making her skull feel like it was about to crack open. Another pill with a ...
- Fully injectable continuous glucose monitor for diabetics soon
“The chemical assay in the injectable sensor is used to determine the concentration of the glucose within the tissue, and the watch device sends in light and measures the fluorescence from the sensor ...
- From glucose sensors to insulin pumps: More options to manage diabetes and high blood sugar better
While there is currently no cure for the condition, technology is offering better ways to control blood glucose levels, says endocrinologist Kevin Tan. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Injectable sensors
[google_news title=”” keyword=”injectable sensors” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Nanoscale sensors
- Nanoscale Advances
Nanoscale Advances is an international gold open access journal, publishing high-quality research across the breadth of nanoscience and nanotechnology. We are the first Royal Society of Chemistry ...
- Breakthrough Reveals How Flaws in Diamonds Could Produce Nanoscale Quantum Sensors
A breakthrough that could lead to sensitive new quantum sensors has been achieved by exploiting tiny flaws in diamond fragments.
- This Molecule Is a Nanoscale Bulldozer
Moving from A to B at the nanoscale is like rolling a die and taking steps forward, backward or sideways depending on the result. “You can't use Newtonian mechanics” in nanotechnology, ...
- Fluid flow in carbon nanotubes and nanopipes
and managing the information flow from large arrays of nanoscale sensors to the outside world. In a biological context, it is worth noting the vital importance of nanoscale pores in natural ...
- Best HomeKit motion sensors 2023
Put your lights and more on autopilot with the best HomeKit motion sensors. Shouting "Hey Siri!" to bring HomeKit light bulbs to life is truly magical. But if you want to put your home on autopilot, ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Nanoscale sensors
[google_news title=”” keyword=”nanoscale sensors” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]