Nanotechnology or molecular manufacturing, under nano biotechnology, is a branch of bioengineering which deals with the design and manufacturing of extremely small electronic circuits and mechanical devices working at the molecular level, with a high degree of specificity. It is an innovative new technology, which focus on the manipulation of matter on a scale of 10-9.
Nanotechnology application in neuroscience includes: ‘platform nanotechnologies’, which are devices or materials that can be adapted to address neuroscience questions, and ‘tailored nanotechnologies’, which are designed to interact with their target systems that are specifically designed to resolve a particular neurobiological issue.
In Basic neuroscience, nanotechnology is applicable for study of cell signalling pathways, or can be a used as a testing system for drug discovery. The nanotech materials can interact and stimulate at the molecular level. They interact with neurons and glia at the molecular level and respond to cellular events.
In Clinical neuroscience, nanotechnology applies for the study of neuronal differentiation & neural regeneration. Nano biomaterials allow the transport of drugs and small molecules across the blood–brain barrier. Nanoparticles promote neuroprotection by limiting the effects of free radicals produced after CNS secondary injury mechanisms.
A new generation of future neuroprosthetic device viz. Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNT) /neuron hybrid system has been developed, which demonstrated that carbon nanotubes can stimulate neuronal electrical signaling and network synaptic interactions directly affecting brain circuit activity. The neural interfaces carry a data link which allows the transmission of information between the human nervous system and an external device (computer). With the help of nanotechnology, many scientists are trying to explore translation of brain waves or fMRI signals into real time external responses.
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