Wireless Optogenetic Modulation of Cortical Neurons Enabled by Radioluminescent Nanoparticles.

Chen, Zhaowei; Tsytsarev, Vassiliy; Finfrock, Y Zou; Antipova, Olga A; Cai, Zhonghou; Arakawa, Hiroyuki; Lischka, Fritz W; Hooks, Bryan M et al. · ACS Nano · 2021

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

While offering high-precision control of neural circuits, optogenetics is hampered by the necessity to implant fiber-optic waveguides in order to deliver photons to genetically engineered light-gated neurons in the brain. Unlike laser light, X-rays freely pass biological barriers. Here we show that radioluminescent Gd<sub>2</sub>(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub>:Eu nanoparticles, which absorb external X-rays energy and then downconvert it into optical photons with wavelengths of ∼610 nm, can be used for the transcranial stimulation of cortical neurons expressing red-shifted, ∼590-630 nm, channelrhodopsin ReaChR, thereby promoting optogenetic neural control to the practical implementation of minimally invasive wireless deep brain stimulation.

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