Scientists use ultra miniaturized next generation tissue implant to control neurons using light and drugs

08/01/2015 - 20:44

A study showed that scientists can wirelessly determine the path a mouse walks with a press of a button. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, created a remote controlled, next-generation tissue implant that allows neuroscientists to inject drugs and shine lights on neurons deep inside the brains of mice. The revolutionary device is described online in the journal Cell. Its development was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health.

“It unplugs a world of possibilities for scientists to learn how brain circuits work in a more natural setting.” said Michael R. Bruchas, Ph.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and neurobiology at Washington University School of Medicine and a senior author of the study.

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Wireless Optofluidic Systems for Programmable In Vivo Pharmacology and Optogenetics. Cell (2015) | DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.06.058