title: Electro-optical Neural Platform Integrated with Nanoplasmonic Inhibition Interface.
abstract: Engineering of neural interfaces with nanomaterials for remote manipulation facilitates the development of platforms for the study and treatment of brain disorders, yet extending their capability to inhibiting the electrical activities of unmodified neurons has been difficult. Here we report the development of an electro-optical neural platform integrated with gold nanorods for simultaneous electrical excitation and readout, and photothermal inhibition of neural activities. A monolayer of gold nanorods was placed at the electrode-neuron interfaces of a microelectrode array for photothermal stimulation of neural activities. This nanoplasmonic interface interacted well with neurons and metal electrodes without affecting the biological and electrical properties. We demonstrated that spontaneous firing of neurons and their signal propagation along the neurites evoked by electrical stimulation were optically inhibited on this neural platform. We believe that our platform could be an alternative to the optogenetic approach and may ultimately be applied to prosthetic devices based on optical neuromodulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Institute for the NanoCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) , Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sangjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Institute for the NanoCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) , Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Raeyoung
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Institute for the NanoCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) , Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Institute for the NanoCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) , Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yoonkey
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004560:Electricity; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D008839:Microelectrodes; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D058117:Neural Prostheses; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D055585:Physical Phenomena; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D006046:Gold
keywords: gold nanorods; monolayer; neural interface; neural prosthetics; photothermal stimulation