Central nervous system (CNS) disorders impact up to 1.5 billion individuals globally, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), with neurological disorders significantly contributing to worldwide mortality. Conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia, prion disease, brain tumor, spinal cord injury (SCI), and stroke fall under this category, all of which are currently considered incurable due to the lack of specific therapies capable of effectively penetrating the blood-brain barrier to exert pharmacological effects within the brain. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of strategies to enhance drug efficacy and overcome the challenges posed by the blood-brain barrier. Certain neurological disorders can lead to memory and cognitive impairment, while others can affect speech, movement, and breathing. According to the WHO report in 2019, stroke ranks as the second leading cause of death globally, followed by AD and other forms of dementia. In developing nations, cases of neurological diseases are on the rise each year. While the causes of most neurological diseases are well understood, diagnosing and treating them remain complicated due to the vulnerable and intricate nature of the central nervous system. Therapeutic intervention faces barriers, primarily in regulating the molecular exchange between the blood and the brain. These barriers consist of glial cells and endothelial cells within the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) serves as the primary gatekeeper, preventing drugs from entering the brain. Effective treatment of these diseases basically relies on identifying their underlying causes. Current strategies, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, fall short of expectations in reducing mortality rates. Survivors often face a diminished quality of life. The main challenges in treating nervous system disorders stem from a limited understanding of the critical components of the nervous system, namely, neurons and their functional circuits. Tackling the challenges posed by current drugs, their side effects, and immune responses in neurodegenerative diseases is crucial for advancing better therapies. Immune activation in diseased states leads to complex treatment protocols, creating obstacles for clinical application. Therefore, developing multifunctional nanotherapeutics with diverse properties is imperative to overcome the various limitations and immune interactions of existing treatments. Nanotechnology has demonstrated significant potential in improving therapeutic delivery and enhancing efficacy. Nanomedicine is now widely used in both basic research and medical practice, aiming to enhance people’s quality of life. This technology offers improved flexibility, precision, control, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and speed. Nanotechnology is particularly advantageous in situations that require rapid treatments. The mechanisms of many CNS diseases are still not fully understood, making diagnosis and treatment challenging. Advances in nanotechnology can enhance the specificity of complex biological systems while reducing unwanted side effects. These advancements are poised to significantly impact neuroscience by enabling the development of more effective and targeted therapies. Nanotechnology can aid in drug and small-molecule delivery across the blood-brain barrier, support neuronal function, and bolster neuroprotective strategies. Controlled nanosized materials are nowadays progressively used by neuroscientists. Highly novel implantable bioelectronics from nanostructures enhanced the potential of neural interfaces and provided unique neuroimaging techniques, such as scaffolds and microelectrodes, in order to understand the neural tissue processes. The integration of nanotechnology into physiology and cell biology allows for the customization of molecular interactions, particularly with neurons and glial cells in neuroscience. The collaboration of nanotechnology and neuroscience gives rise to innovative medical applications including cell regeneration, protection, drug delivery, neuronal imaging, and surgery. Currently, neuroimaging systems such as positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) are used for the early diagnosis of certain neurological pathologies. Despite being the most widely employed neuroimaging techniques, their use is largely confined to advanced medical centers due to the high costs of the equipment and the complex data analysis required. Over the past few decades, the rapid advancement of nanotechnologies, especially nanoprobe-based detection and imaging strategies, has paved the way for significant progress in disease diagnosis and therapy. This chapter discusses several key applications of nanotechnology in the field of neuroimaging and diagnostics. These include advanced technologies designed to effectively interface with neuronal cells, enhancing molecular-based diagnostic techniques and developing biomaterials and hybrid compounds for regeneration and neuroprotection. Additionally, nanotechnology is utilized for the targeted delivery of drugs and small molecules across the blood-brain barrier, addressing one of the significant challenges in treating neurological disorders. By tailoring interactions at the molecular level, these innovations hold the potential to revolutionize diagnostics and treatment in neuroscience, offering more precise and effective therapeutic options. Neuroimaging, or brain scanning, creates images of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Modern neuroimaging techniques typically reveal both the brain’s structure and functions. This technology is crucial in psychology as it allows for an in-depth study of the roles of specific brain areas and helps identify differences in the brains of individuals with brain disorders or mental health conditions. Before the advent of neuroimaging, scientists had limited means to explore brain functions. Their understanding was largely based on observing behavior and conducting postmortem examinations on individuals with unusual behaviors or functions, often due to injury, to assess the damage’s location and extent. NPs have emerged as a transformative tool in neuroimaging, offering unparalleled precision and versatility in visualizing the brain. These tiny particles can be engineered to enhance the contrast of imaging modalities such as MRI, PET, and CT scans. Their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier enables targeted delivery of imaging agents directly to specific brain regions, providing detailed insights into brain structure and function at a molecular level. Additionally, NPs can be functionalized with specific ligands or antibodies to bind to particular neural cells or pathological markers, facilitating the early detection of neurological diseases such as AD and PD. The use of NPs in neuroimaging not only improves the resolution and accuracy of brain scans but also opens new avenues for diagnosing and understanding complex brain disorders.

Nanoparticle-Based Imaging Techniques in Neurological Disorders

章节
发表日期：

2025年

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Subramanian Thangaleela,
Chin-Kun Wang,
Sorimuthu Revathi,
Bhagavathi Sundaram Sivamaruthi,
Chaiyavat Chaiyasut

摘要

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders impact up to 1.5 billion individuals globally, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), with neurological disorders significantly contributing to worldwide mortality. Conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia, prion disease, brain tumor, spinal cord injury (SCI), and stroke fall under this category, all of which are currently considered incurable due to the lack of specific therapies capable of effectively penetrating the blood-brain barrier to exert pharmacological effects within the brain. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of strategies to enhance drug efficacy and overcome the challenges posed by the blood-brain barrier. Certain neurological disorders can lead to memory and cognitive impairment, while others can affect speech, movement, and breathing. According to the WHO report in 2019, stroke ranks as the second leading cause of death globally, followed by AD and other forms of dementia. In developing nations, cases of neurological diseases are on the rise each year. While the causes of most neurological diseases are well understood, diagnosing and treating them remain complicated due to the vulnerable and intricate nature of the central nervous system. Therapeutic intervention faces barriers, primarily in regulating the molecular exchange between the blood and the brain. These barriers consist of glial cells and endothelial cells within the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) serves as the primary gatekeeper, preventing drugs from entering the brain. Effective treatment of these diseases basically relies on identifying their underlying causes. Current strategies, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, fall short of expectations in reducing mortality rates. Survivors often face a diminished quality of life. The main challenges in treating nervous system disorders stem from a limited understanding of the critical components of the nervous system, namely, neurons and their functional circuits. Tackling the challenges posed by current drugs, their side effects, and immune responses in neurodegenerative diseases is crucial for advancing better therapies. Immune activation in diseased states leads to complex treatment protocols, creating obstacles for clinical application. Therefore, developing multifunctional nanotherapeutics with diverse properties is imperative to overcome the various limitations and immune interactions of existing treatments. Nanotechnology has demonstrated significant potential in improving therapeutic delivery and enhancing efficacy. Nanomedicine is now widely used in both basic research and medical practice, aiming to enhance people’s quality of life. This technology offers improved flexibility, precision, control, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and speed. Nanotechnology is particularly advantageous in situations that require rapid treatments. The mechanisms of many CNS diseases are still not fully understood, making diagnosis and treatment challenging. Advances in nanotechnology can enhance the specificity of complex biological systems while reducing unwanted side effects. These advancements are poised to significantly impact neuroscience by enabling the development of more effective and targeted therapies. Nanotechnology can aid in drug and small-molecule delivery across the blood-brain barrier, support neuronal function, and bolster neuroprotective strategies. Controlled nanosized materials are nowadays progressively used by neuroscientists. Highly novel implantable bioelectronics from nanostructures enhanced the potential of neural interfaces and provided unique neuroimaging techniques, such as scaffolds and microelectrodes, in order to understand the neural tissue processes. The integration of nanotechnology into physiology and cell biology allows for the customization of molecular interactions, particularly with neurons and glial cells in neuroscience. The collaboration of nanotechnology and neuroscience gives rise to innovative medical applications including cell regeneration, protection, drug delivery, neuronal imaging, and surgery. Currently, neuroimaging systems such as positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) are used for the early diagnosis of certain neurological pathologies. Despite being the most widely employed neuroimaging techniques, their use is largely confined to advanced medical centers due to the high costs of the equipment and the complex data analysis required. Over the past few decades, the rapid advancement of nanotechnologies, especially nanoprobe-based detection and imaging strategies, has paved the way for significant progress in disease diagnosis and therapy. This chapter discusses several key applications of nanotechnology in the field of neuroimaging and diagnostics. These include advanced technologies designed to effectively interface with neuronal cells, enhancing molecular-based diagnostic techniques and developing biomaterials and hybrid compounds for regeneration and neuroprotection. Additionally, nanotechnology is utilized for the targeted delivery of drugs and small molecules across the blood-brain barrier, addressing one of the significant challenges in treating neurological disorders. By tailoring interactions at the molecular level, these innovations hold the potential to revolutionize diagnostics and treatment in neuroscience, offering more precise and effective therapeutic options. Neuroimaging, or brain scanning, creates images of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Modern neuroimaging techniques typically reveal both the brain’s structure and functions. This technology is crucial in psychology as it allows for an in-depth study of the roles of specific brain areas and helps identify differences in the brains of individuals with brain disorders or mental health conditions. Before the advent of neuroimaging, scientists had limited means to explore brain functions. Their understanding was largely based on observing behavior and conducting postmortem examinations on individuals with unusual behaviors or functions, often due to injury, to assess the damage’s location and extent. NPs have emerged as a transformative tool in neuroimaging, offering unparalleled precision and versatility in visualizing the brain. These tiny particles can be engineered to enhance the contrast of imaging modalities such as MRI, PET, and CT scans. Their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier enables targeted delivery of imaging agents directly to specific brain regions, providing detailed insights into brain structure and function at a molecular level. Additionally, NPs can be functionalized with specific ligands or antibodies to bind to particular neural cells or pathological markers, facilitating the early detection of neurological diseases such as AD and PD. The use of NPs in neuroimaging not only improves the resolution and accuracy of brain scans but also opens new avenues for diagnosing and understanding complex brain disorders.