Work

Terahertz radiation affects the dynamics of neurons by decreasing membrane area ratio

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Terahertz radiation at specific frequencies and energies can mediate cellular morphology or function changes by exciting nonlinear resonance effects in proteins or DNA. However, the effects of terahertz radiation on neuronal morphology and function are currently unknown, and the correlation between neuronal morphology and kinetic properties after terahertz radiation remains to be elucidated. In this paper, we first characterized the changes in neuronal morphology by the relative ratio of neuronal cytosol to protruding membrane area. Analyzed the pattern of the influence of terahertz radiation on neuronal morphology and the cumulative effect. On this basis, this paper constructs a kinetic model of neurons regulated by terahertz radiation, investigates the influence law of terahertz radiation on the kinetic properties of neurons, and analyzes the correlation between neuronal morphology and kinetic properties. The results showed that terahertz radiation caused a decrease in the membrane area ratio of neuronal cytosol to protrusion, and this effect started on the first day of terahertz radiation and lasted until the end of terahertz radiation; terahertz radiation changed the neuronal discharge pattern by decreasing the membrane area ratio of neuronal cytosol to protrusion and lowered the frequency of neuronal inter-cluster discharges and amplitude of action potentials, and increased the neuronal intra-cluster discharge. In addition, terahertz radiation can increase the peak value of neuronal postsynaptic currents by decreasing the membrane area ratio. In summary, terahertz radiation can modulate neurons' morphology and change their firing patterns and kinetic properties by affecting their morphology. These predict that terahertz radiation at specific frequencies and energies can be developed as a novel, molecular-level neuromodulation technique for intervening or treating neuronal degenerative diseases.

Source: Brain Research Bulletin

DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111373

Authors: Shaoqing Ma, Siyu Li, Huan Wang, Yingwei Li, Chengbiao Lu, Xiaoli Li