Neural Stimulation In Vitro and In Vivo by Photoacoustic Nanotransducers

Neuromodulation is an invaluable approach for the study of neural circuits and clinical treatment of neurological diseases. Here, we report semiconducting polymer nanoparticles based photoacoustic nano transducers (PANs) for neural stimulation in vitro and in vivo. Our PANs strongly absorb the nanosecond pulsed laser in the near-infrared second window (NIR-II) and generate localized acoustic waves. PANs are shown to be surface modified and selectively bind onto neurons. PAN-mediated activation of primary neurons in vitro is achieved with ten 3-ns laser pulses at 1,030 nm over a 3-ms duration. In vivo neural modulation of mouse brain activities and motor activities is demonstrated by PANs directly injected into brain cortex. With submillimeter spatial resolution and negligible heat deposition, PAN stimulation is a new non-genetic method for precise control of neuronal activities, opening up potentials in non-invasive brain modulation.

Automated summary

Neuromodulation using semiconducting polymer nanoparticles based photoacoustic nano transducers (PANs) is a promising approach for precise control of neuronal activities. PANs can generate localized acoustic waves by absorbing nanosecond pulsed laser in the near-infrared second window (NIR-II), showing potential for non-invasive brain modulation.