Imaging electrical activity of neurons with metamaterial nanosensors

A technology for recording electrical activity of large neuron populations at arbitrary depth in brain tissues with less than cell spatial and millisecond temporal resolutions was the most craving dream of neuroscientists and a long pursued goal of engineers for decades. Even though many imaging techniques have been devised up to date, none of them is capable to deliver either quantitatively valid data nor able to meet contradictory requirements posed for sensors to be safe, non-invasive and reliably working either within cultured cell populations or during chronic implantations in vivo. In my research project, I design and justify a novel nanobiosensors, capable to detect and optically report the electric fields across cellular membrane and investigate properties of that specially engineered plasmonic nanoantennas. In the following literature survey, I observe the current state of electrophysiology methods and after recalling the basics of fluorescence, discuss benefits and drawbacks of today's voltage sensitive labelling and electric fields imaging methods. This review is wrapped up by a brief outlook of prospective applications of this technology.