This paper reviews the existing research on infrared neural stimulation, a means of artificially stimulating neurons that has been proposed as an alternative to electrical stimulation. Infrared neural stimulation (INS) is defined as the direct induction of an evoked potential in response to a transient targeted deposition of optical energy. The foremost advantage of using optical radiation for neural stimulation is its spatial resolution. Exogenously applied or trans‐genetically synthesized fluorophores are not used to achieve stimulation. Here, current work on INS is presented for motor nerves, sensory nerves, central nervous system, and in vitro preparations. A discussion follows addressing the mechanism of INS and its potential use in neuroprostheses. A brief review of neural depolarization involving other optical methods is also presented. Topics covered include optical stimulation concurrent with electrical stimulation, optical stimulation using exogenous fluorophores, and optical stimulation by transgenic induction of light‐gated ion channels.

中文翻译：

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用光辐射进行神经刺激。


本文回顾了红外神经刺激的现有研究，红外神经刺激是一种人工刺激神经元的方法，已被提议作为电刺激的替代方法。红外神经刺激 (INS) 被定义为响应瞬时定向光能沉积而直接感应诱发电位。使用光辐射进行神经刺激的最重要的优点是其空间分辨率。不使用外源应用或转基因合成的荧光团来实现刺激。在此，介绍了 INS 目前在运动神经、感觉神经、中枢神经系统和体外制剂方面的工作。接下来的讨论讨论了 INS 的机制及其在神经假体中的潜在用途。还简要回顾了涉及其他光学方法的神经去极化。涵盖的主题包括与电刺激同时进行的光刺激、使用外源荧光团的光刺激以及通过光门控离子通道的转基因诱导进行的光刺激。