A Hippocampus-Inspired Dual-Gated Organic Artificial Synapse for Simultaneous Sensing of a Neurotransmitter and Light

Organic neuromorphic devices and sensors that mimic the functions of chemical synapses and sensory perception in humans have received much attention for next-generation computing and integrated logic circuits. Despite recent advances, organic artificial synapses capable of detecting both neurotransmitters in liquid environments and light are not reported. Herein, inspired by hippocampal synapses, a dual-gate organic synaptic transistor platform with a photoconductive polymer semiconductor, a ferroelectric insulator of P(VDF-TrFE), and an extended-gate electrode functionalized with boronic acid is developed to simultaneously detect the neurotransmitter dopamine and light. The developed synaptic transistor enables memory consolidation upon repetitive exposure to dopamine and polychromatic light, exhibiting effectively modulated postsynaptic currents. This proof-of-concept hippocampal-synapse-mimetic organic neuromorphic system combining a chemical sensor and a photosensor opens new possibilities for developing low-power organic artificial synaptic multisensors and light-induced memory consolidative artificial synapses, and can also contribute to the development of human-machine interfaces.

Automated summary

In this study, a dual-gate organic synaptic transistor inspired by hippocampal synapses was developed to detect neurotransmitter dopamine and light simultaneously, showing effective memory consolidation upon exposure to dopamine and polychromatic light. This proof-of-concept organic neuromorphic system combining a chemical sensor and a photosensor opens new possibilities for developing low-power artificial synaptic multisensors and light-induced memory consolidative artificial synapses, contributing to the development of human-machine interfaces.