Researchers in optics and brain and cognitive science are investigating whether neurons can transmit light in a manner similar to fiber-optic communication channels.
Neurons, specialized cells in the brain and spinal cord that form the central nervous system, are known to communicate through electrical impulses. But scientists have found hints that neurons might also transmit light, a discovery that could significantly reshape our understanding of how the nervous system functions.
Researchers at the University of Rochester have launched a groundbreaking study to investigate whether living neurons can conduct light through their axons, the elongated, fiber-like extensions that resemble optical fibers. The project is supported by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
Searching for Evidence of Light in the Brain
“There are scientific papers offering indications that light transport could happen in neuron axons, but there’s still not clear experimental evidence,” says the principal investigator, Pablo Postigo, a professor at Rochester’s Institute of Optics. “Scientists have shown that there is ultra-weak photon emission in the brain, but no one understands why the light is there.”
If light is at play and scientists can understand why, it could have major implications for medically treating brain diseases and drastically change the way physicians heal the brain. But measuring optical transport between neurons would be no easy task.
A Technical Challenge
“A neuron’s axon is less than two microns wide, so if you want to measure the optical properties, you need to use nanophotonic techniques,” says Postigo. “If there is light transmission, it may happen with very tiny amounts of light, even a single photon at a time.”
Postigo, an expert in nanophotonics, will design probes that are able to interact optically with living neurons. He is partnering with Michel Telias, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and of neuroscience and a member of the Center for Visual Science, who specializes in measuring the electrical properties of neurons and their action potentials.
Using the photonic nanoprobes, the researchers will inject light into the neuron axon and detect the outcoming photons. If the neuron’s axon can transmit light, they will measure the light’s wavelengths and intensities.
The birth of modern Man
https://chuckincardinal.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Stick to the subject, NO religion, or Party politics