NOVEL BIOELECTRODE FOR NEUROSCIENCE APPLICATIONS

A NOVEL BIOELECTRODE WILL BE FABRICATED FROM CONDUCTING POLYMERS. UNDER PROPER CONDITIONS, THIS BIOELECTRODE CAN BEELECTROCHEMICALLY REDUCED WITH RESULTING INCORPORATION OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS, SUCH AS ACETYLCHOLINE, GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRATE, DOPAMINE, OR GLUTAMATE, INTO THE POLYMER MATRIX OF THE BIOELECTRODE. THE NEUROTRANSMITTER CAN REMAIN ENTRAPPED WITHIN THE CONDUCTING POLYMER MATRIX WHEN THE BIOELECTRODE IS KEPT AT A PROPER POTENTIAL. WHEN THE BIOELECTRODE IS STIMULATED BY AN ELECTRIC PULSE, THE ENTRAPPED NEUROTRANSMITTER CAN BE RELEASED FROM THE POLYMER MATRIX. THE NOVEL ELECTRODE DESCRIBED HERE IS THE PROTOTYPE FOR A DEVICE THAT COULD BE USED TO DELIVER SMALL AMOUNTS OF BIOMEDICALLY INTERESTING MATERIALS TO SPECIFIC LOCATIONS AT SPECIFIC TIMES.