Optical Sensor Arrays for the Detection of Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are essential for electrochemical communication between neurons. Accurate detection and monitoring of neurotransmitters are crucial for comprehending the intricacies of the human nervous system. Despite their crucial role, neurotransmitters exist in the human body at low concentrations amidst other cellular components, posing challenges for their precise detection and quantification. While electrochemical detection stands as an important technique, its point-of-care diagnostic applications are constrained by complex machinery and sample preparation. To address this limitation, alternative detection strategies for neurotransmitters have been explored. This review discusses the development and principles of array-based sensors designed for facile and rapid detection of neurotransmitters. Moreover, it explores future prospects for the implementation and advancement of these techniques, envisioning a promising trajectory for improved understanding and manipulation of the human nervous system. Neurotransmitters act as key regulators of communication between neurons, with some serving as biomarkers for specific diseases. One of the emerging technique for the detection and discrimination among the neurotransmitters is array sensing. Array sensing is based on the principle of binding the analytes with an array of cross-reactive receptors (sensing elements) in a combinatorial way, where each receptor interacts differently with the analytes and generates a unique response pattern for each analyte. image