Rewiring the Brain with Nanotechnology

By Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch HERWriter

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Nanotechnology may offer new treatment options for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease or post stroke. In the BMC Neuroscience article “Nanotechnology approaches to crossing the blood-brain barrier and drug delivery to the CNS,” author Gabriel A. Silva defines nanotechnology as “materials and devices that have a functional organization in at least one dimension on the nanometer (one billionth of a meter) scale, ranging from a few to about 100 nanometers.” These tiny devices can enter the brain, aiding with the transport of medication or increase of neurotransmitter levels.

In this study, nanotechnology was investigated as a method for delivering drugs through the blood-brain barrier, abbreviated as BBB. The BBB is semi-permeable and protects the brain. Larger molecules cannot pass through the BBB, which poses a limitation when creating medication. For example, dopamine, the neurotransmitter that Parkinson's disease patients are lacking, is too large to pass through the BBB. L-DOPA, the smaller precursor of dopamine, is administered instead. Nanotechnology can deliver certain molecules directly to the central nervous system (CNS), which increases medication options.

Research in Japan is now looking at nanotechnology to alter neural pathways. Discovery News reports that the researchers are working on a creation of a nano-scaled implant that mimics receptor proteins, which increase the release of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Dr. Keiichi Torimitsu, the head of the program, notes in the Discovery News article that these implants can control brain activity. The research is being tailored for stroke survivors, which may reestablish neural connections destroyed by the stroke.

Science Daily adds that nanotechnology is also being used to coat brain implants. The article states that the coating contains PEDOT (electrically-conductive nanoscale polymer), alginate hydrogel and biodegradable nanofibers. The smaller implants being developed can focus on individual neurons, instead of a larger group of neurons, leading to more precise stimulation. For example, if these newer brain implants can target only dopamine-producing neurons, they increase the production of the neurotransmitter, thus decreasing the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. While many of these technologies are in the developmental phase, they open up new possibilities for the treatment of neurological diseases.

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Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch received her bachelor’s of science degree in neuroscience from Trinity College in Hartford, CT in May 2009. She is the Hartford Women's Health Examiner and she writes about abuse on Suite 101.

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