Restoring Function After Severe Spinal Cord Injury Through BioLuminescent-OptoGenetics.

ABSTRACT: The ability to manipulate specific neuronal populations of the spinal cord following spinal cord injury (SCI) could prove highly beneficial for rehabilitation in patients through maintaining and strengthening still existing neuronal connections and/or facilitating the formation of new connections. A non-invasive and highly specific approach to neuronal stimulation is bioluminescent-optogenetics (BL-OG), where genetically expressed light emitting luciferases are tethered to light sensitive channelrhodopsins (luminopsins, LMO); neurons are activated by the addition of the luciferase substrate coelenterazine (CTZ). This approach utilizes ion channels for current conduction while activating the channels through the application of a small chemical compound, thus allowing non-invasive stimulatio

SUBMITTER: Petersen ED 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8811305 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature