Molecular Devices’ Post

In a new Brain Stimulation journal publication with Forouzan Farahani Niranjan Khadka Lucas Parra, Mihály Vöröslakos. Using Neuropixels 284 channels probes in-vivo rat model of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES). We show 0.35 V/m electric fields (like 1 mA tDCS/tACS) change neuronal firing rate. That is: currents used in tDCS and tACS produce electric field in the brain sufficient to change firing. I would say - not surprising but an important and rigorous direct verification. https://lnkd.in/e7T3VkMv

How can we monitor ephysio in brain organoids, getting increasingly complex? Kirigami-inspired approach can be the the answer https://lnkd.in/dyenGE3b 30/366

Every hug, every handshake, every dexterous act engages and requires touch perception. Therefore, it is essential to understand the molecular basis of touch. "Until now, we had known that #ionchannels —Piezo2—is required for #touch perception, but it was clear that this protein alone cannot explain the entirety of touch sensation," says Professor Gary Lewin, head of the Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation Lab at the Max Delbrück Center. For over 20 years Lewin has been studying the molecular basis of the sensation of touch. He and his team have now discovered a new ion channel, named Elkin1, that plays a vital role in touch perception. This is only the second ion channel implicated in the touch perception. It is likely that the protein is directly involved in converting a mechanical stimulus, such as light touch, into an electrical signal. https://lnkd.in/eDVzE3st #electrophysiology #nih #biopharma #pain

The Safety of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents (https://lnkd.in/gi8SrP_D) has a section on the chemistry of gadolinium. The trivalent cationic form of gadolinium, Gd (III), has seven unpaired electrons in the 4f orbitals. Electron shells, or energy levels, are crucial in defining an element’s characteristics, especially its chemical reactivity and bonding behavior. These shells are arranged around the nucleus and contain orbitals where electrons reside. The configuration of these electrons determines how an element interacts with other atoms and influences its chemical properties. Physiologic elements do not have f orbitals. Gadolinium’s seven unpaired electrons also mean it has a strong tendency to interact with other atoms and molecules, potentially leading to unexpected and possibly harmful chemical reactions when introduced into biological systems. Vertebrates typically do not encounter lanthanide cations like gadolinium, so when gadolinium ions are introduced into the plasma, they can disrupt normal biochemical processes. For example, gadolinium can replace other essential metal ions in biological molecules or interact with proteins and enzymes in ways that could inhibit their normal functions. This disruption can cause a cascade of biochemical effects, potentially leading to toxicity or other adverse reactions, especially if the gadolinium is not fully excreted from the body.

Janelia's FlyLight project is making available over 3000 of its best transgenic fly driver lines that drive sparse expression in the central nervous system. Many of these lines can drive expression in specific neuron types. This includes 164 of the driver lines created and annotated in my project. For the neurons identified in my driver lines, we list the best-matching cells that we could find in the electron microscopy volumes. This will make it possible to use our driver lines to manipulate the function of identified neurons, and use the electron microscopy connectome to see exactly what chemical synapses these neurons have. Not only are the flies themselves available, but hundreds of thousands of 3D images of expression patterns and neuroanatomy are also available. We are currently working on importing these flies and added them to our stock collection at the University of Cologne, so that researchers in Europe will be able to request the flies from us here in Germany rather than having to ship all flies across the Atlantic every time another lab wants to use them. The preprint is here: https://lnkd.in/ePKbNNGc The images of the lines will be made available at Virtual Fly Brain: https://lnkd.in/ehMUs2cF

Online now in Device, a transparent and conformal device enables highly selective neuron activation, opening doors in neurological disease treatment and human-computer interfaces! Transparent and conformal microcoil arrays for spatially selective neuronal activation by Brian Timko & co-workers Link (OA): https://lnkd.in/gETmgMer The bigger picture: Neural stimulation devices could achieve many clinical functions, from mitigating neurodegenerative disorders to providing visual or tactile cues from prosthetics. Conventional devices include metallic electrodes that can cause cell damage from mechanical mismatches and prolonged electrical stimulus currents. Here, we report magnetic stimulation devices that could address these issues. They were composed of metallic microcoils embedded within bioinert polymer films. Magnetic fields pass through polymers, and so we avoided direct metal-cell interfaces. The small radius of our coils allowed us to achieve neural activation at the single- or few-neuron level. We also showed using models that the shape of the activation region could be tuned via the coil shape, potentially allowing for specific activation of aligned axons. Our studies open avenues for high-acuity bioelectronic stimulation in regions such as the retina or cortex where functions are encoded at the single-neuron level. #brain #neuro #humancomputerinteraction #braincomputerinterface #biomedical #biomedicalengineering

Meet one of the teams behind our #TeamScience - the electrophysiology group! The Electrophysiology (ephys) group is combining cutting-edge tools for recording electrical activity, such as Neuropixels probes, with reagents for identifying and perturbing specific neuronal cell types in living brains. Their current focus is on improving the reliability and throughput of extracellular electrophysiology experiments. https://lnkd.in/gy9xz7n8

Temperature control allows for the use of higher radiofrequency power in short bursts, enhancing efficacy and efficiency without compromising safety.

Wireless, battery-free and programmable optical and electrophysiological probes are the next-gen signal acquisition setups, really worth investigating; such as the following wireless multilateral optofluidic setup that can be used for optogenetics studies. What could be better that enabling your programmable device with NFC and then develop a mobile platform to operate the entire setup? Also, the use of the flex PCBs (and copper or graphene based...) is growing fast. My experience in using them: flexible!, precise (sub-millisecond signal detection), high temporal and spatial resolution, minimal signal loss, durability, variability in size regardless of insertion area (either cortical or subcortical)... #optogenetics #wirelesstechnology #neurotechnology

#FENS, ALBA Network and Elsevier are happy to introduce #FENS2024 Special Lecture Speaker @Limei Zhang! Her research explores the influence of #peptides within #sensorimotor circuits on circuit performance. To unravel the #spatial relationships between the action sites of peptides and non-peptide #neurotransmitters, her team employs a series of cutting-edge technologies including super-resolution #microscopy and focused #ion beam scanning #electron microscopy (#FIBSEM), in vivo #electrophysiology methods and mathematical #modelling. Find out more https://loom.ly/Q_m95o8