Wireless Neural Routers Created in the US

The emerging field of optogenetics is an area of science that deals with using light to control various aspects of neural functionality. Researchers at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Kendall Research have just developed a new type of instrument that acts like a neural router. 

The tool will help investigators determine how switching off certain cells in the brains of mice and other small animals will influence their behavior. The difference between this device and others is that the former is wireless, allowing test subjects full liberty of movement. 

In the past, scientists had only used fixed optogenetic instrumentation, which severely limited the quality and amount of data that could be derived from experiments. Now, test animals can move about freely, as experts temper with various regions of their brains. 

In optogenetics, neurons are made sensitive to certain types of light through injecting photosensitive compounds in the brain. When a specific wavelength of light reaches those primed cells, they either become activated or inhibited, depending on necessities. 

This technique can be used to manipulate behavior, model disease processes, and potentially deliver treatments. With this innovation, researchers will be able to move away from the bulky lasers and fiber optics that were previously required for studies of this type. 

Of the several prototype devices the Kendall Research group developed, some show great promise, and could eventually make their way to the market in a few years. In the future, this technique could be used for high-throughput studies, Technology Review reports. 

But investigators are also developing systems for controlling these experiments automatically and remotely. The company was founded by former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student Christian Wentz, who studied in the lab of MIT Media Lab neuroscientist Ed Boyden.

The most promising device his startup created weighs only 3 grams, and features cleverly-packed light-emitting diodes (LED) and laser diodes instead of the usual laser light source. The instrument connects directly to an implant in the animals' brains. 

Each of the optogenetic implants receives electricity wirelessly, through supercapacitors located near the testing areas. These power sources operate in bursts, as they are not very efficient at providing continuous electricity.

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