ArticleNature nanotechnology2009
Carbon nanotubes might improve neuronal performance by favouring electrical shortcuts.
Article in Nature nanotechnology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 134 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
134 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Advances in Engineering Human Tissue Models.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2020Pooled it
- Intracellular neuronal recordings across DNA tiles.Nature nanotechnology · 2026Article
- Nanotube-Assisted Motor Neuron and Neuromuscular Junction Stabilization in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A Hypothesis for Adjunctive Therapy.Neurology international · 2026Review
- Safety and Potential Neuromodulatory Effects of Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes in Vertebrate and Invertebrate Animal Models In Vivo.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Electrical Microneedles for Wound Treatment.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Review
- Nano-based approaches for the treatment of neuro-immunological disorders: a special emphasis on multiple sclerosis.Discover nano · 2024Review
- Evolution of Retinal Neuron Fractality When Interfacing with Carbon Nanotube Electrodes.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Interface-Mediated Neurogenic Signaling: The Impact of Surface Geometry and Chemistry on Neural Cell Behavior for Regenerative and Brain-Machine Interfacing Applications.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2024Review
- Selenium Nanoparticles in Protecting the Brain from Stroke: Possible Signaling and Metabolic Mechanisms.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Fractal Electronics for Stimulating and Sensing Neural Networks: Enhanced Electrical, Optical, and Cell Interaction Properties.Advances in neurobiology · 2024Article
- Pilot Study of Cytoprotective Mechanisms of Selenium Nanorods (SeNrs) under Ischemia-like Conditions on Cortical Astrocytes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Toward a New Generation of Bio-Scaffolds for Neural Tissue Engineering: Challenges and Perspectives.Pharmaceutics · 2023Review
- Neuro-nanotechnology: diagnostic and therapeutic nano-based strategies in applied neuroscience.Biomedical engineering online · 2023Review
- Advanced theragnostics for the central nervous system (CNS) and neurological disorders using functional inorganic nanomaterials.Advanced drug delivery reviews · 2023Review
- The mechanical, optical, and thermal properties of graphene influencing its pre-clinical use in treating neurological diseases.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Review
- Optogenetic polymerization and assembly of electrically functional polymers for modulation of single-neuron excitability.Science advances · 2022Article
- Comparison of fractal and grid electrodes for studying the effects of spatial confinement on dissociated retinal neuronal and glial behavior.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Gold Nanostrip Array-Mediated Wireless Electrical Stimulation for Accelerating Functional Neuronal Differentiation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2022Article
- Effects of electrically conductive nano-biomaterials on regulating cardiomyocyte behavior for cardiac repair and regeneration.Acta biomaterialia · 2022Review
74 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes have been applied in several areas of nerve tissue engineering to probe and augment cell behaviour, to label and track subcellular components, and to study the growth and organization of neural networks. Recent reports show that nanotubes can sustain and promote neuronal electrical activity in networks of cultured cells, but the ways in which they affect cellular function are still poorly understood. Here, we show, using single-cell electrophysiology techniques, electron microscopy analysis and theoretical modelling, that nanotubes improve the responsiveness of neurons by forming tight contacts with the cell membranes that might favour electrical shortcuts between the proximal and distal compartments of the neuron. We propose the 'electrotonic hypothesis' to explain the physical interactions between the cell and nanotube, and the mechanisms of how carbon nanotubes might affect the collective electrical activity of cultured neuronal networks. These considerations offer a perspective that would allow us to predict or engineer interactions between neurons and carbon nanotubes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
19197316What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.