神经疾病诊断与研究中的神经递质检测技术

Neurotransmitter Sensing in Diagnosis and Research of Neurological Diseases

神经递质的在体检测不仅可能作为帕金森氏症、阿尔兹海默症、抑郁症等多种神经疾病的生物标记物,同时,这类传感器也可作为研究奖赏、成瘾、厌恶等多种行为产生机制的重要工具。近年来,多种检测神经递质的分析技术已得到了长足的发展,但目前应用于疾病研究和在体检测的传感技术与材料尚面临一些困难,只有较少的应用实例。本文主要介绍了癫痫、帕金森氏症、脑卒中、阿尔兹海默症、精神分裂等疾病中神经递质发挥的重要作用及其检测的科学意义,探讨了在体传感器技术的进展,以及可能用于解析疾病神经环路机制的相关技术和器件,重点探讨了多种纳米材料、导电聚合物材料和生物分子作为在体传感器组成成分的应用技术,以及未来这些新技术、新材料面临的机遇与挑战。

Neurotransmitters are critical molecules for nervous system to transmit and modulate information between neurons and other cell types such as glia cells.Measurement of neurotransmitter concentration in vivo can develop and verify numerous novel biomarkers for identifying neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease,Alzheimer’s disease,post-traumatic stress disorder,epilepsy and schizophrenia etc.Meanwhile,in vivo biosensors for neurotransmitters can facilitate neuroscience research in many aspects,such as understanding the basis of cognition,reward,addiction,aversion,learning and memory,as well as the circuitry mechanisms of various neurological disorders.Whilst the in vitro application of neurotransmitter sensors has improved greatly with the advancement of nano materials,microfluidic devices,multielectrode arrays,and many other techniques,in vivo biosensors have not seen many applications in neuroscience field.This review focuses on recent advancement in biosensing techniques for in vitro and in vivo applications.Some techniques use the potential to improve the detection sensitivity and precision of many diseases,and others may be combined with in vivo electrophysiology,optogenetics for improving neural circuitry research.This review also emphasizes novel materials as components of sensors,such as carbon nanomaterials,conducting polymers,aptamers and metal nano-particles.