Current advances in the detection of neurotransmitters by nanomaterials: An update

• Published in: TrAC, Trends in analytical chemistry (Regular ed.) Trends in analytical chemistry (Regular ed.), 2020-02, Vol.123, p.115766, Article 115766
• Main Authors: Arumugasamy, Shiva Kumar, Chellasamy, Gayathri, Gopi, Sivalingam, Govindaraju, Saravanan, Yun, Kyusik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Nanomaterials; Neurotransmitters; Real samples; Sensing techniques; Simultaneous sensor
• ISSN: 0165-9936; 1879-3142
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2019.115766

Neurotransmitters (NTs) are chemical messengers in the synaptic transmission process. NTs play important roles in human activities, and imbalanced NTs levels in the body lead to severe diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The accurate diagnosis of NTs imbalances has been identified only after patient death through identifying plaques in the brain. Hence, the diagnosis and monitoring of NTs concentrations is important for avoiding serious illnesses. Many researchers have explored the use of robust diagnostic tools with various nanomaterials and techniques. Herein, we investigated the mechanism of reactions between NTs and nanomaterials, the role of nanomaterials in diagnostic tools and the different techniques used in the accurate detection of NTs. Furthermore, we discussed the simultaneous detection of NTs in a single sensing channel, detection in biological samples and future perspectives for nanomaterials in NTs detection. •The major role of neurotransmitters is comprehensively reviewed.•Different nanoparticles involving the detection of neurotransmitters are discussed.•Analytical techniques for evaluating the level of the neurotransmitter has been reported.•Simultaneous detection and real sample analysis of neurotransmitters are presented.•Future outlooks and perspectives of nanomaterials on neurotransmitters detection are discussed.