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Microfluidics in Neuroscience
Published in Tuhin S. Santra, Microfluidics and Bio-MEMS, 2020
Pallavi Gupta, Nandhini Balasubramaniam, Kiran Kaladharan, Fan-Gang Tseng, Moeto Nagai, Hwan-You Chang, Tuhin S. Santra
The neuroscience community is determined to get a breakthrough related to the fundamentals of brain functionality and pathology. Many of these tasks require advanced microfluidic systems. These systems should be based on biologically and biomechanically compatible materials, multimodal or multifunctional modules, and switchable neuronal function in freely moving animals and should have high spatiotemporal resolution via wireless or optical controls. An innovative microfluidic interface offers tremendous possibilities for in vivo pharmacology, chemogenetics, optogenetics, and the rather new field of optopharmacology (optical control of molecules for stimulation or inhibition in a particular cell with high temporal and spatial precision). The highly localized pharmacological infusion for targeted therapies without affecting surrounding tissues may prove to be invaluable for clinical theranostics for brain tumors, neural injury, and many neurodegenerative diseases (PD, AD, Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, etc.). Therefore, beyond fundamental research, the advancement in the reconstruction of the human microenvironmental systems using human-derived cells and novel artificial intelligence analysis methods will reduce the gap between preclinical and clinical research via in vitro tools. The high-throughput screening of brain pathologies with nervous system on a chip would be helpful in addressing the underlying mechanisms and facilitating the advancement of therapies. Till now, many studies have been carried out to investigate MN degeneration, but the entire degeneration pathogenesis has still not been deciphered. The future scope of this research will lie in understanding the interactions of vascular networks and MNs (along with skeletal myotubes). The combination of a high-throughput μFD with brain organoids could offer novel ways for basic development studies and drug screening and tissue engineering applications [140].
Neuroelectrophysiology of Sleep and Insomnia
Published in Ervin Sejdić, Tiago H. Falk, Signal Processing and Machine Learning for Biomedical Big Data, 2018
Ramiro Chaparro-Vargas, Beena Ahmed, Thomas Penzel, Dean Cvetkovic
Demonstrating causality: pursues migrating from observation to causation by deliberated activation and inhibition of neuron populations within behavioral context. The new generation of tools should rely upon optogenetics, chemogenetics, and biochemical and electromagnetic modulation.
Consequences of space radiation on the brain and cardiovascular system
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part C, 2021
Catherine M. Davis, Antiño R. Allen, Dawn E. Bowles
Data from studies outside the space radiation field provide additional support for radiation-induced changes in E/I balance within the mPFC. For example, using optogenetics, where light activates genetically modified receptors implanted within a specific brain region or neuronal cell type, changes in E/I ratio in the mPFC result in increased c-fos activation (a marker of cellular activity) in this region and recapitulate social behavior impairments found in several neuropsychiatric disorders.96 Additionally, several proteins are important for maintaining E/I balance in the brain, but little is known about how radiation impacts their expression within the mPFC. For example, neuroligin-2 (NLGN2) is a postsynaptic adhesion protein that is specific to inhibitory synapses and contributes to inhibitory dysfunction associated with social deficits.93,96–98 Genetic knockdown of NLGN2 in the mPFC results in decreased social interactions in the three-chamber sociability test and impaired consolidation of fear memories, but not their retrieval.99 We have found a similar role for the mPFC in the formation, but not retrieval, of social recognition memory.100 If radiation alters E/I balance in the mPFC, future hypothesis-driven studies can examine how markers of E/I balance are altered following exposure, in addition to employing newer techniques (e.g., optogenetics, chemogenetics) to manipulate neuronal activity within the mPFC or its projections. Finally, proper E/I balance within the mPFC is essential to its role in cognition and emotionality, for example, because it is connected with the limbic system through the basolateral amygdala and this circuit plays an important role in proper social function. Thus, future studies should also investigate markers of altered E/I balance in regions connected to the mPFC. However, the mPFC is not the only region within the (rodent) PFC; future space radiation studies need to assess changes in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region important for modulating response selection to meet the demands of the environment (i.e., studies examining all four Brodmann areas: 24, 25, 32, and 33).76 Future studies exploring these aberrant signaling patterns and other cellular mechanisms following exposure to space radiation could elucidate novel countermeasure targets and mitigation strategies to attenuate radiation-induced deficits.