Abstract
BackgroundNeurodegenerative diseases are devastating diagnoses. Examining local electric fields in response to neural activity in real time could shed light on understanding the origins of these diseases. To date, there has not been found a way to directly map these fields without interfering with the electric circuitry of the brain. This theoretical study is focused on a nanotechnology concept to overcome the challenge of brain electric field mapping in real time. The paper shows that coupling the magnetoelectric effect of multiferroic nanoparticles, known as magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs), with the ultra-fast and high-sensitivity imaging capability of the recently emerged magnetic particle imaging (MPI) can enable wirelessly conducted electric-field mapping with specifications to meet the requirements for monitoring neural activity in real time.MethodsThe MPI signal is numerically simulated on a realistic human brain template obtained from BrainWeb, while brain segmentation was performed with BrainSuite software. The finite element mesh is generated with Computer Geometry Algorithm Library. The effect of MENs is modeled through local point magnetization changes according to the magnetoelectric effect.ResultsIt is shown that, unlike traditional magnetic nanoparticles, MENs, when coupled with MPI, provide information containing electric field’s spatial and temporal patterns due to local neural activity with signal sensitivities adequate for detection of minute changes at the sub-cellular level corresponding to early stage disease processes.ConclusionsLike no other nanoparticles known to date, MENs coupled with MPI can be used for mapping electric field activity of the brain at the sub-neuronal level in real time. The potential applications span from prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases to paving the way to fundamental understanding and reverse engineering the brain.
Highlights
The finite element (FE) mesh required for the segmented brain was generated using Computer Geometry Algorithm Library (CGAL) according to previously described method (Lee et al, 2012)
This paper presents a theoretical study to demonstrate how magnetic particle imaging (MPI) using magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs) could be used to read neuronal firing in the brain
The approach of navigating MENs in the brain would be similar to that used in the conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with traditional magnetic nanoparticles (MNs), e.g., superparamagnetic iron-oxid nanoparticles (SPION) or Conclusions In summary, this paper for the first time presented a theoretical study, supported through numerical simulations, which could pave the way to next-generation wireless electric-field mapping of the brain in real time
Summary
There has not been found a way to directly map these fields without interfering with the electric circuitry of the brain. This theoretical study is focused on a nanotechnology concept to overcome the challenge of brain electric field mapping in real time. In spite of significant advances in this field especially during the last two decades, the existing technologies for recording neural activity are severely limited in their capabilities. These technologies include electroencephalography (EEG) (Coenen, Guduru et al Bioelectronic Medicine (2018) 4:10
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