Magnetoelectric nanodiscs enable wireless transgene-free neuromodulation
Deep brain stimulation with implanted electrodes has transformed neuroscience studies and treatment of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Discovering less invasive alternatives to deep brain stimulation could expand its clinical and research applications. Nanomaterial-mediated transduction of magnetic fields into electric potentials has been explored as a means for remote neuromodulation. Here we synthesize magnetoelectric nanodiscs (MENDs) with a core-double-shell Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-CoFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-BaTiO<sub>3</sub> architecture (250 nm diameter and 50 nm thickness) with efficient magnetoelectric coupling. We find robust responses to magnetic field stimulation in neurons decorated with MENDs at a density of 1 µg mm<sup>-2</sup> despite individual-particle potentials below the neuronal excitation threshold. We propose a model for repetitive subthreshold depolarization that, combined with cable theory, supports our observations in vitro and informs magnetoelectric stimulation in vivo. Injected into the ventral tegmental area or the subthalamic nucleus of genetically intact mice at concentrations of 1 mg ml<sup>-1</sup>, MENDs enable remote control of reward or motor behaviours, respectively. These findings set the stage for mechanistic optimization of magnetoelectric neuromodulation towards applications in neuroscience research.
Authors
- Margaret E. Bisher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2536-7824)
- Polina Anikeeva
- Florian Koehler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6524-9945)
- Anthony Tabet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4568-0890)
- Elian Malkin
- Nicolette Driscoll (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8364-460X)
- Lorenzo Signorelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1815-3112)
- Abigail K. R. Lytton‐Jean (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1582-0066)
- Atharva Sahasrabudhe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2615-2470)
- Giovanni de Nola (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9889-1134)
- Danijela Gregureć (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3316-8008)
- Ethan Frey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5215-7796)
- Taylor M. Cannon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5776-1079)
- David Mankus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9979-7608)
- Ye Ji Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1170-6119)
- Keisuke Nagao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2296-1817)
- Marie Manthey
- Emmanuel Vargas Paniagua
- Noah Kent
Institutions
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research (US)
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
- Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences (US)
- Cambridge Cognition (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Nanotechnology
- Published
- 2024-10-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01798-9
- Citations
- 55
- Primary Topic
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 14.76
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Rice University
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
- National Institutes of Health
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- HORIZON EUROPE European Innovation Council