Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new device which can detect and measure serotonin levels in the brain.
The Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration System (WINCS) uses an electrochemical technology known as fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, to measure serotonin in real time in the living brain.
In a study conducted by researchers, the device was able to detect and measure serotonin levels, as well as dopamine levels in the brain.
According to researchers, measurements of serotonin can be used to determine a therapeutic mechanism of deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disease.
Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Kendall Lee said by having a technology such as WINCS, rather than just diagnosing or measuring neurotransmitters, it is possible to use it as a therapeutic tool to more precisely regulate brain neurotransmitter levels.
Researchers have successfully used the device on animals and are planning to use it to measure serotonin in the human brain.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that is considered to play a major role in controlling depression.