Investigation of Neuronal Activities by Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors
Date Issued
2006
Date
2006
Author(s)
Wang, Chen-Wei
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
We investigated the synaptic transmissions among primary cultured embryonic cortical neurons by using network single wall carbon nanotube field effect transistors (NSWNT-FET). We selectively monitored the chromogranin A (CgA) released by neuronal cells during the synaptic transmission process as an index of the neuronal activity.
We use microelectronic techniques to fabricate NSWNT-FET devices, and the electrical transport in the NSWNT-FET was characterized by measuring the source-drain current vs. back-gate voltage (I-Vg curves). The results indicated that the NSWNT-FET is a p-type semiconductive device.
Before applying this technique to living neuron cells, we conducted the standard molecular recognition experiment of CgAP (CgA peptide, 158~457 AA) and CgA-Ab (chromogranin A antibody) to test the performance of NSWNT-FET and investigate the sensing mechanism. The results showed sensitive electric responses, thus demonstrating the high affinity between CgAP and CgAP-Ab. The sensing mechanism was attributed to both chemical gating effect and thining of Schottky barrier between metal electrode and NSWNTs. In the present result, the detection limit of CgAP was 1 nM.
To verify the feasibility of applying this novel system to detect the CgA secreted from cultured cortical neurons, we used immunochemistry and Western blot to confirm the existence of CgA in neuronal cells. Both result showed CgA was abundant in the whole cell, including soma and neuritis. To extend the detection of CgA to living neuronal cells, we used glutamate to stimulate the neurons and successfully detected the CgA released during the synaptic transmission processes. The result demonstrated that CgA released from the synaptic terminal of neurons can be detected directly with high selectivity and sensitivity by CgA-Ab modified NSWNT-FET. This sensory technique is promising in medical examination and the study of individual neuron cell activity, which should open a new window to understand the neurophysiology in neuronal network.
Subjects
場效應電晶體
神經活性
神經傳導
嗜鉻粒蛋白A
field effect transistor
neuronal activities
chromogranin A
Type
thesis
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