Device for online measurement of neurotransmitters using enzymatic reactors

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for measuring neurotransmitters in the brain dialysate of mammals using enzymatic reactors specific to a certain neurotransmitter, which generate fluorescent derivatives when mixed. The mixture is introduced into an incubation chamber and passes through a temperature controlling system in order to set it to the optimum enzymatic reaction temperature, and the fluorescent derivative generated is passed through a flow fluorescence cell located inside the incubation chamber, where the liquid is impacted with a laser light source via an optical fiber. The fluorescence emitted is captured by a fluorescence detector that sends it to a processing system in order to obtain the corresponding values.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method of online measurement of neurotransmitters by using enzyme reactors, comprising:
 selecting and preparing a specific enzymatic reactor for a neurotransmitter of interest;   displacing a predetermined volume of the prepared enzymatic reactor through a first flow supplying pipe by means of a driving device; wherein said first pipe is in flow communication with a Y− connector located inside an incubation chamber;   displacing a volume of artificial cerebrospinal fluid through a second flow supplying pipe by means of said driving device; said second pipe being in flow communication with Y− connector; wherein the infusion of fluids through the first and second pipes is carried out at the same speed;   passing the artificial cerebrospinal fluid through a dialysis probe whose output is connected to one of the two inputs of connector “Y”;   mixing the enzymatic reactor and the brain dialysate by making them to converge simultaneously in the “Y” connector;   passing the mixture of dialysate and the enzymatic reactor through a fused silica tube disposed within the incubation chamber and into a fluorescence cell to subject said mixture to a process of excitation and emission of fluorescence;   exciting the mixture continuously flowing through the fluorescence cell by impacting it with laser light of 561 nm transmitted via optical fiber by an excitation device; and   capturing the emitted light by means of optical fiber, after filtering it, with a fluorescence detector at about 588 nm.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the incubation chamber is climatized at an optimal temperature for enzymatic reaction. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the conduction of light for excitation and emission is through optical fibers of 600 microns. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the reading of fluorescence is carried out at intervals of less than one second, which allows to monitor online the extracellular concentrations of neurotransmitters and near the real time of neurophysiological activity, i.e., in the order of milliseconds.