School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, College of IT Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Center for Brain Function, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Nat Commun. 2024 Nov 30;15(1):10423. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54759-0.
Transcranial brain stimulation is a promising technology for safe modulation of brain function without invasive procedures. Recent advances in transcranial optogenetic techniques with external light sources, using upconversion particles and highly sensitive opsins, have shown promise for precise neuromodulation with improved spatial resolution in deeper brain regions. However, these methods have not yet been used to selectively excite or inhibit specific neural populations in multiple brain regions. In this study, we created a wireless transcranial optogenetic brain modulator that combines highly sensitive opsins and upconversion particles and allows for precise bimodal neuromodulation of multiple brain regions without optical crosstalk. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach in freely behaving mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate its usefulness in studies of complex behaviors and brain dysfunction by controlling extorting behavior in mice in food competition tests and alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Our approach has potential applications in the study of neural circuits and development of treatments for various brain disorders.
经颅脑刺激是一种有前途的技术,可以在不进行侵入性手术的情况下安全地调节大脑功能。最近,使用上转换粒子和高灵敏度光敏蛋白的外部光源的经颅光遗传技术的进展,为在更深的脑区进行精确的神经调节提供了希望,提高了空间分辨率。然而,这些方法尚未用于选择性地兴奋或抑制多个脑区的特定神经元群体。在这项研究中,我们创建了一种无线经颅光遗传脑调制器,它结合了高灵敏度的光敏蛋白和上转换粒子,允许对多个脑区进行精确的双模态神经调节,而不会产生光学串扰。我们在自由活动的小鼠中证明了我们方法的可行性。此外,我们通过控制食物竞争测试中小鼠的勒索行为和缓解帕金森病的症状,证明了其在复杂行为和大脑功能障碍研究中的有用性。我们的方法在研究神经回路和开发各种大脑疾病的治疗方法方面具有潜在的应用。