A new study from the University of Chicago shows how tiny, light-activated wires can be made from silicon to create electrical signals in the brain. An article published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology describes this method and offers a new opportunity for the study and future treatment of brain disorders.
A decade ago, the entire scientific world was talking about a recently discovered technique, optogenetics, that could manipulate neural activity using light. The problem was that this initially required genetic intervention: the introduction of a gene into the focal cell that would make it respond to light. Since then, scientists have proposed other ways to modulate neurons, but there has not yet been a clear alternative.
A team of researchers led by Professor Bozhi Tiana created microscopic wires that were previously designed for solar panels. These nanowires are so small that they can fit up to several thousand on a cut of a sheet of paper.
Nanowires combine two types of silicon and therefore can create a small electric current when they are irradiated with light. And on the surface of the wire there is gold, which acts as a catalyst for electrochemical processes.
Scientists have tested the wires on rat neurons grown in the laboratory, and saw that the wires are indeed capable of generating electrical signals in neurons, which means that such wiring can initiate certain reactions in the brain using ordinary light.
Nikolay Kudryavtsev