title: In vitroneuronal depolarization and increased synaptic activity induced by infrared neural stimulation.
abstract: Neuronal responses to infrared neural stimulation (INS) are explored at the single cell level using patch-clamp electrophysiology. We examined membrane and synaptic responses of solitary tract neurons recorded in acute slices prepared from the Sprague-Dawley rat. Neurons were stimulated using a compact 1890 nm waveguide laser with light delivered to a small target area, comparable to the size of a single cell, via a single-mode fiber. We show that infrared radiation increased spontaneous synaptic event frequency, and evoked steady-state currents and neuronal depolarization. The magnitude of the responses was proportional to laser output.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Australia Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems, Australia.
authors.forename: Blake
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Entwisle
authors.affiliation: Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McMullan
authors.affiliation: Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia.
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bokiniec
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Australia Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.affiliation: Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Australia Centre for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Withford
keywords: (140.3070) Infrared and far-infrared lasers; (170.0170) Medical optics and biotechnology; (170.1530) Cell analysis; (170.4090) Modulation techniques; (350.5340) Photothermal effects