Wireless magnetothermal deep brain stimulation

TLDR

Current brain stimulation methods require permanent implants or optical fibers. The authors expressed heat‑sensitive capsaicin receptors in neurons and injected magnetic nanoparticles that can be heated by external alternating magnetic fields to activate the ion channels. They demonstrated that this approach allows remote control of deep brain cellular signaling without permanent implants. Chen et al.

Abstract

Exciting nerve cells deep inside the brain Current techniques to stimulate regions inside the brain need a permanently implanted wire or an optical fiber. Working in mice, Chen et al. developed a method to overcome this problem (see the Perspective by Temel and Jahanshahi). They introduced heat-sensitive capsaicin receptors into nerve cells and then injected magnetic nanoparticles into specific brain regions. The nanoparticles could be heated by external alternating magnetic fields, which activated the ion channel–expressing neurons. Thus, cellular signaling deep inside the brain can be controlled remotely without permanent implants. Science , this issue p. 1477 ; see also p. 1418