Abstract
Current optical approaches are progressing far beyond the scope of monitoring the structure and function of living matter, and they are becoming widely recognized as extremely precise, minimally-invasive, contact-free handling tools. Laser manipulation of living tissues, single cells, or even single-molecules is becoming a well-established methodology, thus founding the onset of new experimental paradigms and research fields. Indeed, a tightly focused pulsed laser source permits complex tasks such as developing engineered bioscaffolds, applying calibrated forces, transfecting, stimulating, or even ablating single cells with subcellular precision, and operating intracellular surgical protocols at the level of single organelles. In the present review, we report the state of the art of laser manipulation in neuroscience, to inspire future applications of light-assisted tools in nano-neurosurgery.
Highlights
The etymology of the word “surgery” is derived from the ancient Greek word cheirourgike, or the Latin expression chirurgiae, which refer to the “hand work”
Light manipulation tools can be classified in two main categories: gentle and invasive
The former non-invasive approach concerns the exploitation of optical forces, as in optical tweezers, to manipulate viruses, cells, as well as molecules in living cells (Oddershede, 2012). The latter consists of exploiting the energy of high photon flux to overcome the break-down threshold of the sample, and induce local ablation
Summary
The etymology of the word “surgery” is derived from the ancient Greek word cheirourgike, or the Latin expression chirurgiae, which refer to the “hand work”. Engineering of neuronal scaffolds is gaining importance to reproduce neural circuits in vitro as well as in vivo to repair injuries, to locally deliver cells or molecules, and to promote regeneration.
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