Fast Photoswitchable Molecular Prosthetics Control Neuronal Activity in the Cochlea.

ABSTRACT: Artificial control of neuronal activity enables the study of neural circuits and restoration of neural functions. Direct, rapid, and sustained photocontrol of intact neurons could overcome the limitations of established electrical stimulation such as poor selectivity. We have developed fast photoswitchable ligands of glutamate receptors (GluRs) to enable neuronal control in the auditory system. The new photoswitchable ligands induced photocurrents in untransfected neurons upon covalently tethering to endogenous GluRs and activating them reversibly with visible light pulses of a few milliseconds. As a proof of concept of these molecular prostheses, we applied them to the ultrafast synapses of auditory neurons of the cochlea that encode sound and provide auditory input to the brain. This dru

SUBMITTER: Garrido-Charles A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9164239 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature