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An atlas of nano-enabled neural interfaces

Nature Nanotechnology volume 14, pages 645–657 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Advances in microscopy and molecular strategies have allowed researchers to gain insight into the intricate organization of the mammalian brain and the roles that neurons play in processing information. Despite vast progress, therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders remain limited, owing to a lack of biomaterials for sensing and modulating neuronal signalling in vivo. Therefore, there is a pressing need for developing material-based tools that can form seamless biointerfaces and interrogate the brain with unprecedented resolution. In this Review, we discuss important considerations in material design and implementation, highlight recent breakthroughs in neural sensing and modulation, and propose future directions in neurotechnology research. Our goal is to create an atlas for nano-enabled neural interfaces and to demonstrate how emerging nanotechnologies can interrogate neural systems spanning multiple biological length scales.

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Fig. 1: Nanoscale materials and devices can offer new opportunities in neural interfaces.
Fig. 2: Naturally occurring and cultured neural systems provide plenty of room for nanoscale probing.
Fig. 3: Nanoscale toolbox for neural interfaces.
Fig. 4: Nano-enabled subcellular neural interfaces.
Fig. 5: Nano-enabled cellular and tissue-scale neural interfaces.

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Acknowledgements

B.T. acknowledges support of this work by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR FA9550-18-1-0503), US Army Research Office (W911NF-18-1-0042), US Office of Naval Research (N000141612530, N000141612958) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH NS101488). W.W. acknowledges the National Institutes of Health (1R01NS109990-01). H.A.L. is supported by the National Institutes of Health (F31 EY029156-01A1). F.B. acknowledges the National Institutes of Health (R01-GM030376 and R21-EY027101).

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  1. João L. Carvalho-de-Souza

    Present address: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Héctor Acarón Ledesma

  2. Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Héctor Acarón Ledesma, Francisco Bezanilla & Bozhi Tian

  3. Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute of Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaojian Li

  4. Shenzhen-Hongkong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaojian Li

  5. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    João L. Carvalho-de-Souza & Francisco Bezanilla

  6. Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Wei Wei

  7. Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile

    Francisco Bezanilla

  8. Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Bozhi Tian

  9. James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Bozhi Tian

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  1. Héctor Acarón Ledesma
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Correspondence to Bozhi Tian.

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Acarón Ledesma, H., Li, X., Carvalho-de-Souza, J.L. et al. An atlas of nano-enabled neural interfaces. Nat. Nanotechnol. 14, 645–657 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-019-0487-x

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