Tan Chao, Robbins Elaine M, Wu Bingchen, Cui Xinyan Tracy
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
Micromachines (Basel). 2021 Feb 18;12(2):208. doi: 10.3390/mi12020208.
The brain is a complex network that accounts for only 5% of human mass but consumes 20% of our energy. Uncovering the mysteries of the brain's functions in motion, memory, learning, behavior, and mental health remains a hot but challenging topic. Neurochemicals in the brain, such as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, gliotransmitters, hormones, and metabolism substrates and products, play vital roles in mediating and modulating normal brain function, and their abnormal release or imbalanced concentrations can cause various diseases, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. A wide range of techniques have been used to probe the concentrations of neurochemicals under normal, stimulated, diseased, and drug-induced conditions in order to understand the neurochemistry of drug mechanisms and develop diagnostic tools or therapies. Recent advancements in detection methods, device fabrication, and new materials have resulted in the development of neurochemical sensors with improved performance. However, direct in vivo measurements require a robust sensor that is highly sensitive and selective with minimal fouling and reduced inflammatory foreign body responses. Here, we review recent advances in neurochemical sensor development for in vivo studies, with a focus on electrochemical and optical probes. Other alternative methods are also compared. We discuss in detail the in vivo challenges for these methods and provide an outlook for future directions.
大脑是一个复杂的网络，仅占人体质量的5%，却消耗我们20%的能量。揭示大脑在运动、记忆、学习、行为和心理健康方面的功能奥秘仍然是一个热门但具有挑战性的话题。大脑中的神经化学物质，如神经递质、神经调质、胶质递质、激素以及代谢底物和产物，在介导和调节正常脑功能中发挥着至关重要的作用，它们的异常释放或浓度失衡会导致各种疾病，如癫痫、阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病。为了理解药物作用机制的神经化学原理并开发诊断工具或疗法，人们已经使用了多种技术来探测正常、刺激、患病和药物诱导条件下神经化学物质的浓度。检测方法、器件制造和新材料方面的最新进展推动了性能更优的神经化学传感器的发展。然而，直接的体内测量需要一种强大的传感器，它要高度灵敏且具有选择性，污垢最少且炎症异物反应降低。在此，我们综述了用于体内研究的神经化学传感器的最新进展，重点关注电化学和光学探针。还比较了其他替代方法。我们详细讨论了这些方法在体内面临的挑战，并对未来方向进行了展望。
