The role of membrane dynamics in electrical and infrared neural stimulation

Erick K. Moen; Hope T. Beier; Bennett L. Ibey; Andrea M. Armani

doi:10.1117/12.2214474

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13 May 2016 The role of membrane dynamics in electrical and infrared neural stimulation

Erick K. Moen, Hope T. Beier, Bennett L. Ibey, Andrea M. Armani

Proceedings Volume 9719, Biophysics, Biology, and Biophotonics: the Crossroads; 97190E (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2214474
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2016, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We recently developed a nonlinear optical imaging technique based on second harmonic generation (SHG) to identify membrane disruption events in live cells. This technique was used to detect nanoporation in the plasma membrane following nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) exposure. It has been hypothesized that similar poration events could be induced by the thermal gradients generated by infrared (IR) laser energy. Optical pulses are a highly desirable stimulus for the nervous system, as they are capable of inhibiting and producing action potentials in a highly localized but non-contact fashion. However, the underlying mechanisms involved with infrared neural stimulation (INS) are not well understood. The ability of our method to non-invasively measure membrane structure and transmembrane potential via Two Photon Fluorescence (TPF) make it uniquely suited to neurological research. In this work, we leverage our technique to understand what role membrane structure plays during INS and contrast it with nsPEF stimulation. We begin by examining the effect of IR pulses on CHO-K1 cells before progressing to primary hippocampal neurons. The use of these two cell lines allows us to directly compare poration as a result of IR pulses to nsPEF exposure in both a neuron-derived cell line, and one likely lacking native channels sensitive to thermal stimuli.

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Erick K. Moen, Hope T. Beier, Bennett L. Ibey, and Andrea M. Armani "The role of membrane dynamics in electrical and infrared neural stimulation", Proc. SPIE 9719, Biophysics, Biology, and Biophotonics: the Crossroads, 97190E (13 May 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2214474

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