Abstract
Despite a potential of infrared neural stimulation (INS) for modulating neural activities, INS suffers from limited light confinement and bulk tissue heating. Here, a novel methodology for an advanced optical stimulation is proposed by combining near-infrared (NIR) stimulation with gold nanorods (GNRs) targeted to neuronal cell membrane. We confirmed experimentally that in vitro and in vivo neural activation is associated with a local heat generation based on NIR stimulation and GNRs. Compared with the case of NIR stimulation without an aid of GNRs, combination with cell-targeted GNRs allows photothermal stimulation with faster neural response, lower delivered energy, higher stimulation efficiency and stronger behavior change. Since the suggested method can reduce a requisite radiant exposure level and alleviate a concern of tissue damage, it is expected to open up new possibilities for applications to optical neuromodulations for diverse excitable tissues and treatments of neurological disorders.
Highlights
Among a variety of external sources employed to modulate a neural membrane potential, electrical stimulation has been the gold standard due to good controllability and high reliability [1]
Before demonstrating a neural response associated with NIR stimulation and cell-targeted gold nanorods (GNRs), spontaneous activities of cultured neural cells are monitored
We demonstrated that cell-targeted GNRs convert NIR irradiation into the rapid and local temperature elevation which can trigger physiological changes in the cell membrane evoking neural activities of cultured neurons and rat motor neurons in vivo
Summary
Among a variety of external sources employed to modulate a neural membrane potential, electrical stimulation has been the gold standard due to good controllability and high reliability [1]. Optogenetic method uses light to excite or inhibit genetically targeted neural cells with a high spatiotemporal resolution [7,8]. On the other hand, infrared neural stimulation (INS) enables us to control neural activities by delivering infrared light energy into the target neural cells without genetic modification [2,6,9,10]. Near-infrared (NIR) light with a longer penetration depth is considered appropriate for an efficient temperature rise in the target tissue since cells are more transparent in this wavelength [19]
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