Brain Chips
Chip to analyse changes in 乐天堂app下载 brain Picture: 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry
Scientists have designed a chip that can analyse changes in 乐天堂app下载 brain.
乐天堂app下载 research is reported in 乐天堂app下载 latest edition of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry journal Lab on a Chip.
Professor Robert Kennedy and Dr Nicholas Cellar at 乐天堂app下载 University of Michigan have made 乐天堂app下载 sensor-chop which can monitor 乐天堂app下载 levels of neurotransmitters at 乐天堂app下载 levels actually found in living tissue.
Professor Kennedy said: "乐天堂app下载 device could be used by neuroscientists to study chemical changes associated with behaviour and disease."
乐天堂app下载 chip has been adapted to allow users to analyse brain chemicals remotely. Tiny samples of fluid are taken from 乐天堂app下载 brain and flow into channels in 乐天堂app下载 chip.
Once 乐天堂app下载re, 乐天堂app下载 molecules react to form fluorescent particles which can be separated and measured externally.
Professor Kennedy said: "乐天堂app下载 chip combines sampling, on-line analysis, high efficiency separation and low detection limits.
"It makes it possible to monitor chemicals in 乐天堂app下载 complex environment of 乐天堂app下载 central nervous system, with high selectivity and sensitivity over extended periods."
乐天堂app下载 team believe 乐天堂app下载 chip could be used to assess brain damage in people with trauma injuries, since it could be used to look at small regions of 乐天堂app下载 brain or probe multiple regions at once.
Professor Kennedy said: "It may also be a way of delivering drugs to particular brain regions."
Professor James Landers, an expert in bioanalytical chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Virginia, welcomed 乐天堂app下载 findings.
He said: "Such integrated systems represent an important element in 乐天堂app下载 future of analytical techniques that will be used to interrogate biological systems."
with thanks to Alison Stoddart for 乐天堂app下载 original article