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Alivisatos AP, Andrews AM, Boyden ES, Chun M, Church GM, Deisseroth K, Donoghue JP, Fraser SE, Lippincott-Schwartz J, Looger LL, Masmanidis S, McEuen PL, Nurmikko AV, Park H, Peterka DS, Reid C, Roukes ML, Scherer A, Schnitzer M, Sejnowski TJ, Shepard KL, Tsao D, Turrigiano G, Weiss PS, Xu C, Yuste R, Zhuang X. Nanotools for neuroscience and brain activity mapping. ACS NANO 2013; 7:1850-66. [PMID: 23514423 PMCID: PMC3665747 DOI: 10.1021/nn4012847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Neuroscience is at a crossroads. Great effort is being invested into deciphering specific neural interactions and circuits. At the same time, there exist few general theories or principles that explain brain function. We attribute this disparity, in part, to limitations in current methodologies. Traditional neurophysiological approaches record the activities of one neuron or a few neurons at a time. Neurochemical approaches focus on single neurotransmitters. Yet, there is an increasing realization that neural circuits operate at emergent levels, where the interactions between hundreds or thousands of neurons, utilizing multiple chemical transmitters, generate functional states. Brains function at the nanoscale, so tools to study brains must ultimately operate at this scale, as well. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are poised to provide a rich toolkit of novel methods to explore brain function by enabling simultaneous measurement and manipulation of activity of thousands or even millions of neurons. We and others refer to this goal as the Brain Activity Mapping Project. In this Nano Focus, we discuss how recent developments in nanoscale analysis tools and in the design and synthesis of nanomaterials have generated optical, electrical, and chemical methods that can readily be adapted for use in neuroscience. These approaches represent exciting areas of technical development and research. Moreover, unique opportunities exist for nanoscientists, nanotechnologists, and other physical scientists and engineers to contribute to tackling the challenging problems involved in understanding the fundamentals of brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Paul Alivisatos
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720-1460
| | - Anne M. Andrews
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Department of Psychiatry, and Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Edward S. Boyden
- Media Laboratory, Department of Biological Engineering, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
| | | | - George M. Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Biophysics Program, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford California 94305
- Departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry, Stanford University, Stanford California 94305
| | - John P. Donoghue
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Engineering, Department of Computer Science, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
| | - Scott E. Fraser
- Departments of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Physiology and Biophysics, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Pediatrics, Radiology and Ophthalmology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz
- Cell Biology and Metabolism Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Loren L. Looger
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia 20147
| | - Sotiris Masmanidis
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Address correspondence to , , ,
| | - Paul L. McEuen
- Department of Physics, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, and Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| | - Arto V. Nurmikko
- Department of Physics and Division of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
| | - Hongkun Park
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Darcy S. Peterka
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
| | - Clay Reid
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, Washington 98103
| | - Michael L. Roukes
- Kavli Nanoscience Institute, California Institute of Technology, MC 149-33, Pasadena, California 91125
- Departments of Physics, Applied Physics, and Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, MC 149-33, Pasadena, California 91125
| | - Axel Scherer
- Kavli Nanoscience Institute, California Institute of Technology, MC 149-33, Pasadena, California 91125
- Departments of Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, and Physics, California Institute of Technology, MC 149-33, Pasadena, California 91125
- Address correspondence to , , ,
| | - Mark Schnitzer
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford California 94305
- Departments of Applied Physics and Biology, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Terrence J. Sejnowski
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, and Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Kenneth L. Shepard
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
| | - Doris Tsao
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
| | - Gina Turrigiano
- Department of Biology and Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254
| | - Paul S. Weiss
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
- Address correspondence to , , ,
| | - Chris Xu
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| | - Rafael Yuste
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
- Address correspondence to , , ,
| | - Xiaowei Zhuang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
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