Optical Stimulation Strategies for Retinal Prostheses

James investigated the use of optical neuromodulation techniques for stimulating and inhibiting retinal neurons at high spatial precision, for use in visual prostheses. The research found that gold nanoparticle plasmonic heating could be used to robustly control the activity of retinal ganglion cells, laying the groundwork for a new type of retinal prosthesis design. Further work found that optogenetic methods for stimulating retinal neurons could be combined with electrical stimulation to substantially improve stimulation efficacy, potentially improving the acuity of existing vision restoration therapies.