Tiny Wireless Device Shines Light On Mouse Brain, Generating Reward

Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure.

The researchers, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, developed tiny devices, containing light emitting diodes (LEDs) the size of individual neurons. The devices activate brain cells with light. The scientists report their findings April 12 in the journal Science.

“This strategy should allow us to identify and map brain circuits involved in complex behaviors related to sleep, depression, addiction and anxiety,” says co-principal investigator Michael R. Bruchas, PhD, assistant professor of anesthesiology at Washington University. “Understanding which populations of neurons are involved in these complex behaviors may allow us to target specific brain cells that malfunction in depression, pain, addiction and other disorders.”

For the study, Washington University neuroscientists teamed with engineers at the University of Illinois to design microscale (LED) devices thinner than a human hair. This was the first application of the devices in optogenetics, an area of neuroscience that uses light to stimulate targeted pathways in the brain. The scientists implanted them into the brains of mice that had been genetically engineered so that some of their brain cells could be activated and controlled with light.

“We used the LED devices to activate networks of brain cells that are influenced by the things you would find rewarding in life, like sex or chocolate,” says co-first author Jordan G. McCall, a neuroscience graduate student in Washington University’s Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences. “When the brain cells were activated to release dopamine, the mice quickly learned to poke their noses through the hole even though they didn’t receive any food as a reward. They also developed an associated preference for the area near the hole, and they tended to hang around that part of the maze.”

The researchers believe the LED implants may be useful in other types of neuroscience studies or may even be applied to different organs. Related devices already are being used to stimulate peripheral nerves for pain management. Other devices with LEDs of multiple colors may be able to activate and control several neural circuits at once. In addition to the tiny LEDs, the devices also carry miniaturized sensors for detecting temperature and electrical activity within the brain.

Bruchas and his colleagues already have begun other studies of mice, using the LED devices to manipulate neural circuits that are involved in social behaviors. This could help scientists better understand what goes on in the brain in disorders such as depression and anxiety.

“We believe these devices will allow us to study complex stress and social interaction behaviors,” Bruchas explains. “This technology enables us to map neural circuits with respect to things like stress and pain much more effectively.”

Source: science magazine

B.N

You might also like
Latest news
Iranian Defense Minister arrives in Damascus for talks with senior Syrian political and military of... Ministry of Tourism signs two MoU with Arab Importers and Exporters Union and Syrian-Iraqi Business ... Iran: Repeated Israeli aggression on Syria blatant violation necessitates international accountabili... Lebanese Resistance strikes Ramim barracks with missiles 43,799 people martyred, over 103,601 injured since the beginning of Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip WHO condemns Israeli attack on Lebanese Civil Defense Center in Baalbek People’s Assembly: Corrective Movement gave Syria a pivotal Arab and regional role Palestinian Resistance Kills 3 Soldiers from Occupation in Beit Lahiya The Palestinian Foreign Ministry Welcomes the UN Resolution Affirming the Right of The Palestinian P... Lebanon's Interior Minister: Condemning Israeli Massacres is Not Enough ... The Conscience of The Wo... Larijani: We Support the Lebanese People in all circumstances and Backup Any Decision They Take The Occupation Arrests 6 Palestinians in Various Areas in The West Bank 2 Palestinian Prisoners Martyred in Israeli Prisons Due to Deliberate Medical Negligence 13 Martyrs as A Result of The Israeli Raid on The Civil Defense Center in Baalbek Dozens of Martyrs and Wounded by Occupation Shelling of Gaza Strip The Lebanese Resistance Condemns the Enemy's Targeting of the AL-Resala Radio Building Dozens of Martyrs and Wounded... Israel Continues Its Barbaric Aggression Against the Southern Subur... Israeli Warplanes Launch raids on Al-Ghubairi in the Southern Suburb of Beirut Cuba Unequivocally Rejects Israeli Aggression Against Syria and Lebanon Syrian Heritage in a Painting at a Forum in Algeria