Implantable nanophotonic neural probes for integrated patterned photostimulation and electrophysiological recording

Abstract Optogenetics enables precise neural circuit manipulation with light. However, optical attenuation poses a challenge to deliver spatially shaped light that controls the stimulation volume into deep brain regions. Here, we overcome this challenge with foundry-fabricated implantable silicon neural probes with microelectrodes and nanophotonic circuits. The probes emit engineered beam profiles with sufficiently high powers to excite neural activity ranging from cellular spikes to network-wide responses. Our in vivo experiments evaluated probes emitting low-divergence beams or planar sheets, both of which could selectively stimulate neurons at different depths. Comparisons of their evoked spiking responses showed that the light sheet probes induced greater firing rate fatigue at lower optical intensities than the low-divergence probes. Light sheets can also induce seizures in the hippocampus of an epilepsy mouse model while keeping the temperature rise ≲ 1 °C. Integrating additional devices, such as wavelength multiplexers and photodetectors, will lead to versatile implants for multimodal brain activity mapping.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
npj Biosensing
Published
2025-04-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44328-025-00024-3
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.45

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Implantable nanophotonic neural probes for integrated patterned photostimulation and electrophysiological recording

Peisheng Ding, Tianyuan Xue, Alperen Gövdeli, Xin Mu et al.
6 citations
npj Biosensing
Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
5.45
article

Implantable nanophotonic neural probes for integrated patterned photostimulation and electrophysiological recording

Peisheng Ding, Tianyuan Xue, Alperen Gövdeli, Xin Mu, Homeira Moradi Chameh, A. Sharma, Wesley D. Sacher, John N. Straguzzi, David A. Roszko, Taufik A. Valiante, Fu‐Der Chen, Patrick Lo, Joyce K. S. Poon, Youngho Jung, Mandana Movahed, Hannes Wahn, Xianshu Luo, Hongyao Chua
article en
6 citations

Abstract

Abstract Optogenetics enables precise neural circuit manipulation with light. However, optical attenuation poses a challenge to deliver spatially shaped light that controls the stimulation volume into deep brain regions. Here, we overcome this challenge with foundry-fabricated implantable silicon neural probes with microelectrodes and nanophotonic circuits. The probes emit engineered beam profiles with sufficiently high powers to excite neural activity ranging from cellular spikes to network-wide responses. Our in vivo experiments evaluated probes emitting low-divergence beams or planar sheets, both of which could selectively stimulate neurons at different depths. Comparisons of their evoked spiking responses showed that the light sheet probes induced greater firing rate fatigue at lower optical intensities than the low-divergence probes. Light sheets can also induce seizures in the hippocampus of an epilepsy mouse model while keeping the temperature rise ≲ 1 °C. Integrating additional devices, such as wavelength multiplexers and photodetectors, will lead to versatile implants for multimodal brain activity mapping.

npj BiosensingVol. 2(1)
University Health Network (CA), University of Toronto (CA), Toronto Western Hospital (CA), Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics (DE), Ontario Brain Institute (CA)
California Institute of Technology, McGill University, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
5.45
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.