Nanoparticle-enhanced infrared neural stimulation

Abstract

Objective. Recent research has demonstrated that nerves can be stimulated by transient heating associated with the absorption of infrared light by water in the tissue. There is a great deal of interest in using this technique in neural prostheses, due to the potential for increased localization of the stimulus and minimization of contact with the tissue. However, thermal modelling suggests that the full benefits of increased localization may be reduced by cumulative heating effects when multiple stimulus sites and/or high repetition rates are used. Approach. Here we review recent in vitro and in vivo results suggesting that the transient heating associated with plasmon absorption in gold nan..