10.1002/adom.202101649
https://zenodo.org/records/6046055
oai:zenodo.org:6046055
Pisano
Pisano
Filippo
Kashif
Kashif
Muhammad Fayyaz
Balena
Balena
Antonio
Pisanello
Pisanello
Marco
De Angelis
De Angelis
Francesco
de la Prida
de la Prida
Liset M
Valiente
Valiente
Manuel
D'Orazio
D'Orazio
Antonella
De Vittorio
De Vittorio
Massimo
Grande
Grande
Marco
Pisanello
Pisanello
Ferruccio
Plasmonics on a Neural Implant: Engineering Light–Matter Interactions on the Nonplanar Surface of Tapered Optical Fibers
Zenodo
2021
2021-12-06
10.1002/adom.202101649
https://zenodo.org/communities/deeper
https://zenodo.org/communities/eu
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Optical methods are driving a revolution in neuroscience. Ignited by optogenetic techniques, a set of strategies has emerged to control and monitor neural activity in deep brain regions using implantable photonic probes. A yet unexplored technological leap is exploiting nanoscale light-matter interactions for enhanced bio-sensing, beam-manipulation and opto-thermal heat delivery in the brain. To bridge this gap, we got inspired by the brain cells’ scale to propose a nano-patterned tapered-fiber neural implant featuring highly-curved plasmonic structures (30 μm radius of curvature, sub-50 nm gaps). We describe the nanofabrication process of the probes and characterize their optical properties. We suggest a theoretical framework using the interaction between the guided modes and plasmonic structures to engineer the electric field enhancement at arbitrary depths along the implant, in the visible/near-infrared range. We show that our probes can control the spectral and angular patterns of optical transmission, enhancing the angular emission and collection range beyond the reach of existing optical neural interfaces. Finally, we evaluate the application as fluorescence and Raman probes, with wave-vector selectivity, for multimodal neural applications. We believe our work represents a first step towards a new class of versatile nano-optical neural implants for brain research in health and disease.
M.D.V., M.G., and Fe.P. jointly supervised and are co-last authors in this work. Fi.P., A.B., and Fe.P. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 677683. F.D.A., L.M.d.l.P., M.V., M.D.V., and Fe.P. acknowledge funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 828972. Fi.P., M.D.V., and Fe.P. acknowledge that this project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 101016787. M.P., Fe.P., and M.D.V. were funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Grant No. 1UF1NS108177-01).
Open access funding provided by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia within the CRUI-CARE agreement.
European Commission
10.13039/501100000780
677683
Multipoint Optical DEvices for Minimally invasive neural circuits interface
European Commission
10.13039/501100000780
101016787
DEEP BRAIN PHOTONIC TOOLS FOR CELL-TYPE SPECIFIC TARGETING OF NEURAL DISEASES
National Institutes of Health
10.13039/100000002
1UF1NS108177-01
Controlling the spatial extent of light-based monitoring and manipulation of neural activity in vivo
European Commission
10.13039/501100000780
828972
BRInGing nano-pHoTonics into the brain