Nanotransducer-Enabled Deep-Brain Neuromodulation with NIR-II Light

The second near-infrared window (NIR-II window), which ranges from 1000 to 1700 nm in wavelength, exhibits distinctive advantages of reduced light scattering and thus deep penetration in biological tissues in comparison to the visible spectrum. The NIR-II window has been widely employed for deep-tissue fluorescence imaging in the past decade. More recently, deep-brain neuromodulation has been demonstrated in the NIR-II window by leveraging nanotransducers that can efficiently convert brain-penetrant NIR-II light into heat. In this Perspective, we discuss the principles and potential applications of this NIR-II deep-brain neuromodulation technique, together with its advantages and limitations compared with other existing optical methods for deep-brain neuromodulation. We also point out a few future directions where the advances in materials science and bioengineering can expand the capability and utility of NIR-II neuromodulation methods.