The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei in the brain with major responsibility for causing movement of body parts. To date, neuroscientists have been able to collect anecdotal data from these motor nuclei by recording either electrical or chemical events from single cells within the basal ganglia. However, this approach does not tell us what ensembles of cells within the nuclei are doing at one instance to effect a movement. Thus, it is necessary to create and develop recording devices which will allow scientists to measure electrical and chemical events from multiple sites within a nucleus of cells if we are to fully understand how neural circuits operate to cause an arm to move for example. Dr. Greg Gerhardt is taking the initial steps in the development of solid-state microsensors that can be used to monitor the neurochemical substratum of motor regulation. He plans to develop and test biosensors to monitor chemical and electrical events in "real time" in the extracellular environment of striatal neurons. He proposes to develop multichannel silicon-based biosensors for the rapid determination of dopamine, glutamate, and acetylcholine activity in the basal ganglia of laboratory animals. This work is extremely important, being at the cutting edge of research which will allow us to understand the neurochemical mechanisms that underlie execution and control of brain motor circuits.
