End-to-End Neuron-inspired Signal Transduction Using Organic Electrochemical Transistors

Abstract

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) enable high-performance bioelectronics through their efficient ionic-electronic coupling, yet realizing a complete neuronal signal pathway that transduces environmental stimuli into spiking activity and synaptic memory remains a persistent system-level challenge. Here we demonstrate a neuron-inspired signal transduction pathway constructed entirely from OECTs, comprising a signal receptor, a spiking axonal module and a synaptic memory unit. System-level functionality is examined using a hardware-in-the-loop configuration based on direct analog signal transfer. The raw output photocurrent generated by the receptor drives the axonal oscillator, and the resulting voltage spikes subsequently modulate the synaptic device, without any algorithmic scaling or software-based amplification. This direct-drive regime preserves physical signal causality and reveals that the intrinsic signal levels of each functional block are naturally matched to the input requirements of the subsequent stage. Experimentally, receptor-induced spiking activity reliably gives rise to short-term synaptic plasticity under these unassisted conditions. Together, these results demonstrate the inherent inter-stage electrical compatibility of OECT-based devices and establish a rigorous experimental foundation for the future monolithic integration of fully organic neuromorphic systems.