Brain stimulation using electrical, magnetic, and ultrasound offer different spatiotemporal specificities for treating neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Towards developing a precision method of targeting specific functional circuits in humans, we have applied infrared neural stimulation to human cerebral cortex intra-operatively. Brief pulse trains of infrared laser light, applied with a fine fiber optic, excites neural activity at submillimeter scale as assessed by intrinsic signal optical imaging. The response is intensity-dependent, non-damaging below threshhold, and activates local cortical networks similar to that in nonhuman primates (NHP). We suggest INS is a promising tool for precision medicine.

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Li Pan, An Ping, Anna Wang Roe, Kedi Xu, Junming Zhu, and Kenneth E. Schriver, "Infrared neural stimulation in human cerebral cortex," Proc. SPIE PC12366, Optogenetics and Optical Manipulation 2023, PC123660A (Presented at SPIE BiOS: January 29, 2023; Published: 17 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2657046.6321585621112.