Wireless neurophotonic probes for the interrogation of neurons in memory circuits

随着加拿大和发达国家人口平均年龄的上升，**神经退行性疾病将变得越来越普遍，并给**医疗体系和经济带来越来越大的负担。一种主要的神经退行性疾病是阿尔茨海默病(AD)，它会导致记忆和认知丧失。AD和痴呆症影响着大约110万加拿大人，在加拿大每年造成104亿美元的经济损失。目前，还没有治愈或有效的治疗方法。柳叶刀神经学委员会最近表示，治疗阿尔茨海默病的**有效疗法可能是现代医学面临的最大未得到满足的需求。“**这个项目解决了了解大脑中与**记忆有关的神经元回路的挑战，目的是提高神经刺激疗法对阿尔茨海默病和**痴呆症的疗效。这样的治疗将刺激特定的大脑回路，以促进AD或痴呆症患者的记忆**编码和/或检索。该项目将创造一种新型的无线、可植入的大脑深部探头，用于啮齿类动物的记忆丧失恢复**实验，使用光刺激和电刺激+记录特定的**神经元组。重要的是，这些大脑探测器将使用与半导体微电子相同的工艺和**基础设施，以确保与批量制造**的兼容性，以及一条可行的技术转换路径，这将使神经科学家**和临床研究人员广泛受益。**该项目汇集了来自世界各地的光子学、**电子学、神经科学和脑深部刺激方面的世界级专业知识。除了加拿大团队成员外，该项目还包括法国和美国的合作者，他们将在神经探头的设计、制造和测试方面提供**补充专业知识。这个国际项目的**结果将有利于加拿大人的健康，并导致在加拿大设计和集成的高价值**神经技术产品。

As the average age of the population of Canada and the developed world rises,**neurodegenerative conditions will become increasingly prevalent and a growing burden on**the healthcare system and economy. A major neurodegenerative disease is Alzheimers**disease (AD), which causes memory and cognition loss. AD and dementia affect roughly 1.1**million Canadians and incur an economic cost of $10.4B per year in Canada. Currently, there**is no cure or effective treatment. The Lancet Neurology Commission recently stated, an**effective therapy for AD is perhaps the greatest unmet need facing modern medicine."**This project addresses the challenge of understanding neuron circuits in the brain involved in**memory, with the goal of improving the efficacy of neurostimulation therapies for AD and**dementia. Such treatments would stimulate specific brain circuits to promote memory**encoding and/or retrieval in patients with AD or dementia. The project will create a new type**of wireless, implantable deep brain probes for rodent experiments on memory loss rescue**that uses optical stimulation and electrical stimulation+recording of specific groups of**neurons. Importantly, these brain probes will be made using the same processes and**infrastructure as semiconductor microelectronics to ensure compatibility with volume**manufacturing and a viable technology translation path that will widely benefit neuroscientists**and clinical researchers.**This project brings together world-class expertise from around the globe in photonics,**electronics, neuroscience, and deep brain stimulation. In addition to the Canadian team**members, the project involves collaborators in France and United States who will provide**complementary expertise in the design, fabrication, and testing of the neural probes. The**results of this international project will benefit the health of Canadians and lead to high-value**neurotechnology products that are designed and integrated in Canada.