RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Exploiting modal demultiplexing properties of tapered optical fibers for tailored optogenetic stimulation
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 199273
DO 10.1101/199273
A1 Marco Pisanello
A1 Filippo Pisano
A1 Leonardo Sileo
A1 Emanuela Maglie
A1 Elisa Bellistri
A1 Barbara Spagnolo
A1 Gil Mandelbaum
A1 Bernardo L. Sabatini
A1 Massimo De Vittorio
A1 Ferruccio Pisanello
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/10/06/199273.abstract
AB Optogenetic control of neural activity in deep brain regions requires precise and flexible light delivery with non-invasive devices. To this end, Tapered Optical Fibers (TFs) represent a minimally-invasive tool that can deliver light over either large brain volumes or spatially confined subregions. This work links the emission properties of TFs with the modal content injected into the fiber, finding that the maximum transversal propagation constant (kt) and the total number of guided modes sustained by the waveguide are key parameters for engineering the mode demultiplexing properties of TFs. Intrinsic features of the optical fiber (numerical aperture and core/cladding diameter) define the optically active segment of the taper (up to ∼3mm), along which a linear relation between the propagating set of kt values and the emission position exists. These site-selective light-delivery properties are preserved at multiple wavelengths, further extending the range of applications expected for tapered fibers for optical control of neural activity.