The ability to exploit the full potential of optical neural interfaces in sub-cortical brain structures is limited by the high scattering nature of the neural tissue. This is boosting the scientific community to develop novel implantable technologies to bring and collect light from deep brain regions, aiming at controlling and monitoring of neural activity with high spatio-temporal resolution.

This work presents a fully integrated neurophotonic probe featuring multiple optical phased arrays. By combining delay lines and input wavelength tuning, angular steering of the beam can be obtained without moving the implant. Continuous steering of the beam was obtained, covering a size comparable with the dimension of a cell body, in both quasi-transparent fluorescent solutions as well as in fixed tissue. The authors have applied the device in living brain slices, and show its suitability to stimulate fluorescence from genetically encoded optical indicators of neural activity, as well as to optogenetically control neural activity.

Together with recent literature outputs from other research groups at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and at Columbia University, this work highlights how nanophotonic elements on implantable devices can provide tools that complement the currently available technologies for optical neural interfaces.

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