Tunable Magnetic Domain Walls for Therapeutic Neuromodulation at Cellular Level: Stimulating Neurons Through Magnetic Nanowires

TL;DR

This paper introduces a spintronic neurostimulator using magnetic nanowires with controllable domain wall movement to generate localized electric fields for neuron stimulation, offering a low-current alternative to traditional methods.

Contribution

It presents a novel device leveraging domain wall motion in magnetic nanowires for precise, low-current neural stimulation, advancing neurotechnology.

Findings

Electric field up to 14 V/m from domain wall motion

Device operates at microampere current levels

Stimulation parameters tunable via nanowire geometry and magnetic properties

Abstract

Cellular-level neuron stimulation has attracted much attention in the areas of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. Herein, we propose a spintronic neurostimulator based on the domain wall movement inside stationary magnetic nanowires driven by the spin transfer torque. The electromotive forces generated by the domain wall motion can serve as highly localized stimulation signals for neuron cells. Our simulation results show that the induced electric field from the domain wall motion in permalloy nanowires can reach up to 14 V/m, which is well above the reported threshold stimulation signal for clinical applications. The proposed device operates on a current range of several uA which is 10^3 times lower compared to magnetic stimulation by microcoils. The duration and amplitude of the stimulating signal can be controlled by adjusting the applied current density, the geometry of the nanowire, and the magnetic properties of the nanowire material.