Wireless activation of targeted brain circuits in less than a second
Researchers from Rice University, Duke University, Brown University and Baylor College of Medicine developed magnetic technology to wirelessly control neural circuits in fruit flies. They used genetic engineering to express heat-sensitive ion channels in neurons that control behavior and iron nanoparticles to activate the channels. When the researchers activated the magnetic field in the fly cage, the nanoparticles converted the magnetic energy into heat, firing channels and activating neurons. An overhead camera filmed the fly during the experiment, and visual analysis showed the genetically modified fly assumed a wing-spreading posture about half a second after receiving the magnetic signal. Credit: C. Sebesta and J. Robinson/Rice University
A research team led by Rice University neuroscientists has created wireless technology to remotely activate certain brain circuits in fruit flies in less than a second.
In a demonstration published in Natural IngredientsResearchers from Rice, Duke University, Brown University and Baylor College of Medicine used magnetic signals to activate target neurons that control the body position of fruit flies that move freely in the cage.
“To study the brain or to treat neurological disorders, the scientific community is looking for tools that are highly precise, but also minimally invasive,” said study author Jacob Robinson, a professor in electrical and computer engineering at Rice and a member of Rice’s Neuroengineering Initiative. “Remote control of certain neural circuits by magnetic fields is somewhat of a holy grail for neurotechnology. Our work takes an important step towards that goal as it increases the speed of remote magnetic control, bringing it closer to the brain’s natural speed.”
Robinson said the new technology activates neural circuits about 50 times faster than the best previously demonstrated technology for genetically determined magnetic stimulation of neurons.
“We made progress because the lead author, Charles Sebesta, had the idea to use a new ion channel that is sensitive to the rate of change of temperature,” said Robinson. “By bringing together experts in the fields of genetic engineering, nanotechnology and electrical engineering, we were able to put all the pieces together and prove that this idea works. This is truly the effort of a world-class team of scientists fortunate enough to work with us.”
The researchers used genetic engineering to express special heat-sensitive ion channels in neurons that cause the fly to partially spread its wings, a common mating cue. The researchers then injected magnetic nanoparticles that could be heated with an applied magnetic field. An overhead camera observes flies as they roam freely around the enclosure above the electromagnet. By changing the magnetic field in a certain way, the researchers were able to heat the nanoparticles and activate the neurons. Video analysis of the experiment shows the genetically modified fly assumes a wing-spreading posture within about half a second of a changing magnetic field.
Robinson said the ability to activate genetically targeted cells at the right time could be a powerful tool for studying the brain, treating disease and developing brain-machine direct communication technology.
Researchers from Rice University, Duke University, Brown University and Baylor College of Medicine genetically engineered the neurons that control the fruit fly’s posture to react to signals from a magnetic field. Flies are injected with iron nanoparticles that convert magnetic signals into heat, activating neurons. An overhead camera filmed how the flies behaved when their neurons were both deactivated and activated by the magnetic field in their cage. Credit: C. Sebesta and J. Robinson/Rice University
Robinson is principal investigator at MOANA, an ambitious project to develop headset technology for non-surgical, wireless, brain-to-brain communication. Short for “magnetic, optical, and acoustic neural access,” MOANA is working to develop headset technology that can “read,” or decode, neural activity in one person’s visual cortex and “write,” or encode, that activity in another’s brain. Magnetogenetic technology is an example of the latter.
Robinson’s team is working to achieve the goal of partially restoring vision in blind patients. By stimulating the part of the brain associated with vision, MOANA researchers hope to give patients a sense of sight even if their eyes are no longer functioning.
“The long-term goal of this work is to create a method to activate specific regions of the brain in humans for therapeutic purposes without having to perform surgery,” said Robinson. “To achieve the brain’s natural precision, we may need to get responses of up to a few hundred seconds. So there’s still a way to go.”
The project aims to transfer visual perception from the sighted to the blind
Charles Sebesta et al, Subsecond multichannel magnetic control of certain neural circuits in free-moving flies, Natural Ingredients (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-022-01281-7
Provided by Rice University
Quote: Wireless activation of targeted brain circuits in less than a second (2022, 14 July) retrieved 14 July 2022 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-wireless-brain-circuits.html
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