Terahertz radiation affects the dynamics of neurons by decreasing membrane area ratio
Ma S, Li S, Wang H, Li Y, Lu C, Li X · 2025
Terahertz radiation decreased the neuronal membrane area ratio, altered discharge patterns, and increased postsynaptic current peaks.
Plain English Summary
The researchers characterized neuronal morphology using the relative ratio of cytosol to protruding membrane area. Terahertz radiation caused a decrease in this membrane area ratio starting on the first day and persisting through the end of exposure. The radiation also changed neuronal discharge patterns by lowering inter-cluster discharge frequency and action potential amplitude while increasing intra-cluster discharge, and it raised the peak of postsynaptic currents.
Why This Matters
The study built a kinetic model of neurons regulated by terahertz radiation to examine how radiation influences kinetic properties and the link between morphology and kinetics. The authors concluded that terahertz radiation can modulate neuronal morphology and change firing patterns and kinetic properties by affecting morphology. They also noted that terahertz radiation at specific frequencies and energies can mediate cellular changes via nonlinear resonance effects in proteins or DNA. The authors predicted that terahertz radiation could be developed as a molecular-level neuromodulation technique for intervening or treating neuronal degenerative diseases.
Show BibTeX
@article{ma_s_li_s_wang_h_li_y_lu_c_li_x_ce3359,
author = {Ma S and Li S and Wang H and Li Y and Lu C and Li X},
title = {Terahertz radiation affects the dynamics of neurons by decreasing membrane area ratio},
year = {2025},
}