Everything that happens in the brain is a result of neurons sending and receiving signals in complex networks that are not completely understood by scientists. These networks are what allow us to pick up a cup of coffee, laugh at a joke or stand up from a chair. When some neurons do not send and receive signals properly, it can lead to problems such as epilepsy, depression, addiction, and chronic pain.
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University of Arizona engineering researchers, led by biomedical engineering professor and Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellow Philipp Gutruf, are creating new tools for a method called optogenetics, which shines light at specific neurons in the brain to excite or suppress activity.
Optogenetics experiments are aimed at increasing understanding of how the brain works, allowing scientists to develop and test potential cures for illnesses such as neurodegenerative diseases, reports Emily Dieckman in the University of Arizona News.
In a new paper published in PNAS, UArizona researchers collaborated with researchers at Northwestern University to demonstrate an untethered light delivery tool to enable seamless optogenetics in the brain.
While this technique has huge potential to treat diseases on a neurological basis, the invasive nature of the current methodology is a major stumbling block. The light source developed at the University of Arizona aims to change that, and bring us a little closer to clinical optogenetics.
“This technique means we can use optogenetics without having to penetrate the skull or brain tissue, making it much less invasive,” said Jokubas Ausra, a biomedical engineering doctoral student in the Gutruf Lab and the first author of the paper.
In the new paper, Gutruf and his team report on the first wireless transcranial optogenetic simulation device that can send light through the skull rather than physically penetrating the blood-brain barrier. The transcranial technique is done using a wireless and battery-free device that's as thin as a sheet of paper and about half the diameter of a dime, implanted just under the skin.
“This is significant because when optogenetics become available for humans, we have technology that enables seamless light delivery to neurons in the brain or spine,” said Gutruf, who is also a member of the university's BIO5 Institute. “This means we have a precursor technology that could someday help manage conditions like epilepsy or chronic pain without invasive surgery and chronic use of drugs.”
There is still a long way to go before the technology is available to humans. In particular, progress must be made on methods for introducing light-sensitive proteins into the human brain and periphery.
“This tool allows scientists to do a wide range of experiments that were previously not possible,” Gutruf said. “These possibilities enable the scientific community to make faster progress to uncover the working principles of the brain and develop and test treatments in accurate environments. This is important for many areas – for example, enabling drug-free pain therapies to beat the opioid crisis.”
