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A Signal-Harmonizing Hybrid Neural Pathway Enabled by Bipolar-Chemo-Synapse Spiking Interneuron
Shi Luo1,2, Shen Zhang1,2, Daizong Ji1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|March 14, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a novel artificial interneuron that mimics biological systems by responding to neurotransmitters. This breakthrough enables the creation of hybrid neural pathways for advanced neuroelectronic applications like neuroprosthetics.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomimetic Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Human-machine fusion requires hybrid neural pathways compatible with biological systems.
- Existing artificial interneurons lack the ability to encode information based on different neurotransmitters and exhibit mismatched activation thresholds and frequency responsivity compared to biological counterparts.
- This limits the construction of signal-harmonizing hybrid neural pathways for neuroprosthetics, neurorehabilitation, and neuroelectronic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel artificial interneuron capable of encoding information in biorecognizable spike sequences.
- To achieve neurotransmitter-dependent frequency tuning in an artificial interneuron.
- To construct a signal-harmonizing hybrid sensorimotor pathway for neuroelectronic applications.
Main Methods:
- Development of a bipolar-chemosynapse interneuron.
- Encoding spike frequency in a biomimetic paradigm using bipolar synapses.
- Dynamic response of synapses to excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters.
- Translation of time-series chemical signals into spike sequences.
Main Results:
- The developed bipolar-chemosynapse interneuron achieved the lowest activation threshold (6.25 μM) and highest frequency responsivity (0.55 Hz μM⁻¹) to date, closely mimicking biological counterparts.
- A signal-harmonizing hybrid sensorimotor pathway was successfully constructed for the first time, mediated by excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters.
- The pathway effectively encoded upstream mechanical stimuli and modulated the downstream leg swing frequency in a mouse model, balancing neural activity.
Conclusions:
- The novel bipolar-chemosynapse interneuron represents a significant advancement in artificial neuron technology.
- This development facilitates the creation of highly bionic hybrid neural pathways for enhanced neuroprosthetics and neurorehabilitation.
- The successful construction of a signal-harmonizing sensorimotor pathway demonstrates the potential for seamless integration of biological and artificial neural systems.
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