There has been a long-standing demand for noninvasive neuroimaging methods that can detect neuronal activity at both high temporal and high spatial resolution. We present a two-dimensional fast line-scan approach that enables direct imaging of neuronal activity with millisecond precision while retaining the high spatial resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This approach was demonstrated through in vivo mouse brain imaging at 9.4 tesla during electrical whisker-pad stimulation. In vivo spike recording and optogenetics confirmed the high correlation of the observed MRI signal with neural activity. It also captured the sequential and laminar-specific propagation of neuronal activity along the thalamocortical pathway. This high-resolution, direct imaging of neuronal activity will open up new avenues in brain science by providing a deeper understanding of the brain’s functional organization, including the temporospatial dynamics of neural networks.

To realize the potential applications of stretchable sensors in the field of wearable health monitoring, it is essential to develop a stable sensing device with robust electrical and mechanical properties in the present of varying external conditions. Herein, we demonstrate a stretchable temperature sensor with the elimination of strain-induced interference via geometric engineering of the free-standing stretchable fibers (FSSFs) of reduced graphene oxide/ polyurethane composite. The FSSFs were formed in serpentine structures and enabled the implementation of a strain-insensitive stretchable temperature sensor. On the basis of the controlled reduction time of graphene oxide, we can modulate the response and thermal index of the device. These results are attributed to the variation in the density of oxygen-containing functional groups in the FSSFs, which affect the hopping charge transport and thermal generation of excess carriers. The FSSF temperature sensor yields increased responsivity (0.8%/°C), stretchability (90%), sensing resolution (0.1 °C), and stability in response to applied stretching (±0.37 °C for strains ranging from 0 to 50%). When the sensor is sewn onto a stretchable bandage and attached to the human body, it can detect the temperature changes of the human skin during different body motions in a continuous and stable manner.

Biosensor systems for wearable continuous monitoring are desired to be developed into conformal patch platforms. However, developing such patches is very challenging owing to the difficulty of imparting materials and components with both high stretchability and high performance. Herein, we report a fully stretchable microfluidics-integrated glucose sensor patch comprised of an omnidirectionally stretchable nanoporous gold (NPG) electrochemical biosensor and a stretchable passive microfluidic device. A highly electrocatalytic NPG electrode was formed on a stress-absorbing 3D micropatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate to confer mechanical stretchability, high sensitivity, and durability in non-enzymatic glucose detection. A thin, stretchable, and tough microfluidic device was made by embedding stretchable cotton fabric as a capillary into a thin polyurethane nanofiber-reinforced PDMS channel, enabling collection and passive, accurate delivery of sweat from skin to the electrode surface, with excellent replacement capability. The integrated glucose sensor patch demonstrated excellent ability to continuously and accurately monitor the sweat glucose level.

A conformal patch biosensor that can detect biomolecules is one promising technology for wearable sweat glucose self-monitoring. However, developing such a patch is challenging because conferring stretchability to its components is difficult. Herein, we demonstrate a platform for a nonenzymatic, electrochemical sensor patch: a wrinkled, stretchable, nanohybrid fiber (WSNF) in which Au nanowrinkles partially cover the reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/polyurethane composite fiber. The WSNF has high electrocatalytic activity because of synergetic effects between the Au nanowrinkles and the oxygen-containing functional groups on the rGO-supporting matrix which promote the dehydrogenation step in glucose oxidation. The WSNF offers stretchability, high sensitivity, low detection limit, high selectivity against interferents, and high ambient-condition stability, and it can detect glucose in neutral conditions. If this WSNF sensor patch were sewn onto a stretchable fabric and attached to the human body, it could continuously measure glucose levels in sweat to accurately reflect blood glucose levels.

Human skin is highly stretchable at low strain but becomes self-limiting when deformed at large strain due to stiffening caused by alignment of a network of stiff collagen nanofibers inside the tissue beneath the epidermis. To imitate this mechanical behavior and the sensory function of human skin, we fabricated a skin-like substrate with highly stretchable, transparent, tough, ultrathin, mechanosensory, and self-limiting properties by incorporating piezoelectric crystalline poly((vinylidene fluoride)- co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) nanofibers with a high modulus into the low modulus matrix of elastomeric poly(dimethylsiloxane). Randomly distributed P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers in the elastomer matrix conferred a self-limiting property to the skin-like substrate so that it can easily stretch at low strain but swiftly counteract rupturing in response to stretching. The stretchability, toughness, and Young's modulus of the ultrathin (∼62 μm) skin-like substrate with high optical transparency could be tuned by controlling the loading of nanofibers. Moreover, the ultrathin skin-like substrate with a stretchable temperature sensor fabricated on it demonstrated the ability to accommodate bodily motion-induced strain in the sensor while maintaining its mechanosensory and thermosensory functionalities.

There has been a longstanding demand for noninvasive neuroimaging methods capable of detecting neuronal activity at both high temporal and spatial resolution. Here, we propose a novel method that enables Direct Imaging of Neuronal Activity for functional MRI (termed DIANA-fMRI) that can dynamically image spiking activity in milliseconds precision, while retaining the original benefit of high spatial resolution of MRI. DIANA-fMRI was demonstrated through in vivo mice brain imaging at 9.4 T applying electrical whisker-pad stimulation, directly imaging the spiking activity as well as capturing its sequential propagation along the thalamocortical pathway, as further confirmed through in vivo spike recording and optogenetics. DIANA-fMRI will open up new avenues in brain science by providing a deeper understanding of the brain's functional organization including neural networks.

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There has been a long-standing demand for high temporospatial resolution in non-invasive neuroimaging. Using our previously proposed approach for direct imaging of neuronal activity (DIANA-fMRI) with a high temporal resolution of milliseconds, we continued to demonstrate DIANA-fMRI performance in mice in vivo at 9.4T using visual stimulation. The DIANA signal change was significantly increased (~0.2-0.4%) in response to flashing light stimulus, and it was found that DIANA responses of sSC, V1, and V2 were sequentially activated in that order. The DIANA response times of sSC, V1, and V2 were consistent with previous electrophysiological studies.