Real-Time In-Vivo Control of Neural Membrane Potential by Electro-Ionic Modulation

Summary Theoretically, by controlling neural membrane potential (V m ) in-vivo ; motion, sensation, and behavior can be controlled. Until now, there was no available technique that can increase or decrease ion concentration in-vivo in real-time to change neural membrane potential. We introduce a method that we coin as electro-ionic modulation (EIM), where ionic concentration around a nerve can be controlled in real-time and in-vivo . We used an interface to regulate the Ca 2+ ion concentration around the sciatic nerve of a frog, thus achieved stimulation and blocking with higher resolution and lower current compared to electrical stimulation. Since EIM achieves higher controllability of V m , it has potential to replace conventional methods used for treatment of neurological disorders and may bring a new perspective to neuromodulation techniques.