A photosensitive surface capable of inducing electrophysiological changes in NG108-15 neurons. (15th January 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Huang, Fei; Bladon, John; Lagoy, Ross C.; Shorrock, Peter N.; Hronik-Tupaj, Marie; Zoto, Christopher A.; Connors, Robert E.; Grant McGimpsey, W.; Molnar, Peter; Lambert, Stephen; Rittenhouse, Ann R.; Lambert, Christopher R.
• Is Part Of: Acta biomaterialia. Volume 12(2015)
• Page Start: 42
• Page End: 50
• Publication Date: 2015-01-15
• Subjects: Current clamp -- Neuronal stimulation -- Retinal prosthetic -- Self-assembled monolayer (SAM) -- Voltage clamp; Biomedical materials -- Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2014.10.023
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-7061

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Abstract: Retinal prostheses promise to be a viable therapy for many forms of blindness. Direct stimulation of neurons using an organic light-sensitive, self-assembled monolayer surface offers a simple alternative to conventional semiconductor technology. For this purpose we have derivatized an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate with the photosensitive dye, NK5962, using 3-(aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) as cross-linker. The surface was characterized through contact angle goniometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, grazing angle infrared and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry. NG108-15 neurons were grown on the ITO-APTMS-NK5962 surface and neural responses from electrical stimulation vs. photostimulation through the ITO-APTMS-NK5962 surface were measured using patch clamp electrophysiology. Under these conditions, photostimulation of depolarized cells caused an approximate 2-fold increase in voltage-gated sodium (Na + ) current amplitude at a membrane potential of −30 mV. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of stimulating neurons, grown on light-sensitive surfaces, with light impulses, which ultimately may facilitate the fabrication of a simple, passive retinal prosthetic.