title: Nanotechnologies for the study of the central nervous system.
abstract: The impact of central nervous system (CNS) disorders on the human population is significant, contributing almost €800 billion in annual European healthcare costs. These disorders not only have a disabling social impact but also a crippling economic drain on resources. Developing novel therapeutic strategies for these disorders requires a better understanding of events that underlie mechanisms of neural circuit physiology. Studying the relationship between genetic expression, synapse development and circuit physiology in CNS function is a challenging task, involving simultaneous analysis of multiple parameters and the convergence of several disciplines and technological approaches. However, current gold-standard techniques used to study the CNS have limitations that pose unique challenges to furthering our understanding of functional CNS development. The recent advancement in nanotechnologies for biomedical applications has seen the emergence of nanoscience as a key enabling technology for delivering a translational bridge between basic and clinical research. In particular, the development of neuroimaging and electrophysiology tools to identify the aetiology and progression of CNS disorders have led to new insights in our understanding of CNS physiology and the development of novel diagnostic modalities for therapeutic intervention. This review focuses on the latest applications of these nanotechnologies for investigating CNS function and the improved diagnosis of CNS disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, St. James' Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ajetunmobi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, St. James' Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: prinamea@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prina-Mello
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, St. James' Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Volkov
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Molecular Medicine, St. James' Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corvin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Molecular Medicine, St. James' Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: tropead@tcd.ie.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tropea
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Molecular imaging; Nanomedicine; Nanotechnology; Whole-brain imaging