Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles-based detection of neuronal activity.

Pierre-Olivier Champagne, Nathalie T Sanon, Lionel Carmant, Dang Khoa Nguyen, Sylvain Deschênes, Philippe Pouliot, Alain Bouthillier, Mohamad Sawan

Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicine 2022 Feb

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Precise detection of brain regions harboring heightened electrical activity plays a central role in the understanding and treatment of diseases such as epilepsy. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) react to magnetic fields by aggregating and represent interesting candidates as new sensors for neuronal magnetic activity. We hypothesized that SPIONs in aqueous solution close to active brain tissue would aggregate proportionally to neuronal activity. We tested this hypothesis using an in vitro model of rat brain slice with different levels of activity. Aggregation was assessed with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We found that increasing brain slice activity was associated with higher levels of aggregation as measured by DLS and MRI, suggesting that the magnetic fields from neuronal tissue could induce aggregation in nearby SPIONs in solution. MRI signal change induced by SPIONs aggregation could serve as a powerful new tool for detection of brain electrical activity. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Pierre-Olivier Champagne, Nathalie T Sanon, Lionel Carmant, Dang Khoa Nguyen, Sylvain Deschênes, Philippe Pouliot, Alain Bouthillier, Mohamad Sawan. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles-based detection of neuronal activity. Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicine. 2022 Feb;40:102478