11-cis-retinal and Epilepsy

Neural stimulation and recording with high spatiotemporal precision is desirable for studying the real time cellular basis of neural circuits, as well as developing possible therapeutic treatments for neurological diseases. Optical stimulation of genetically targeted neurons expressing the light sensitive ion channel protein Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) and Halorhodopsin (NpHR) has recently been reported as a means for millisecond temporal control of neuronal spiking activity with cell-type selectivity. We combine the new 'optogenetics' approaches with a dual-modality device, which consists of a tapered coaxial optical waveguide ("optrode") directly integrated into a 36 element intra-cortical multi-electrode recording array (MEA). This novel optoelectronic microarray was cortically implanted in ChR2 transduced behaving rats. We have shown that the idiopathic induced epileptic seizure could be modulated by optical stimulation.

Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Electrodes; Electrophysiology; Epilepsy; Halorhodopsins; Male; Neurons; Optics and Photonics; Photic Stimulation; Photons; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Rhodopsin; Time Factors

Targeted neural excitation coupled with simultaneous multineuron recording is desirable both for studying the real-time dynamics of neural circuits and for prospective clinical treatment of neurological diseases. Optical stimulation of genetically targeted neurons expressing the light sensitive channel protein Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) has recently been reported as a means for millisecond temporal control of neuronal spiking activity with cell-type selectivity. This offers the prospect of enabling local (cellular level) stimulation and the concomitant monitoring of neural activity by extracellular electrophysiological methods, both in the vicinity of and distant to the stimulation site. We report here a novel dual-modality hybrid device which consists of a tapered coaxial optical waveguide ("optrode") directly integrated into a 100 element intra-cortical multi-electrode recording array. The dual-modality array device was used in ChR2 transfected mouse brain slices. Specifically, epileptiform events were reliably optically triggered by the optrode and their spatiotemporal patterns were simultaneously recorded by the multi-electrode array.

Topics: Animals; Brain; Electric Stimulation; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Electrophysiology; Epilepsy; Equipment Design; Light; Mice; Microelectrodes; Neurons; Optical Devices; Rhodopsin; Somatosensory Cortex; Synapses