Manipulation of cellular functions in neuronal networks with optical perturbation of a focused laser beam

Abstract

Neurons in complex networks communicate with each other through synaptic connections. Molecular dynamics at synaptic terminals in neurons is essential for synaptic plasticity and subsequent modulation of cellular functions in neuronal networks. For realizing artificial control of living neurons, we propose and demonstrate laser-induced perturbation into molecular dynamics in neuronal cells. The optical trapping of cellular molecules such as synaptic vesicles or neurotransmitter receptors labeled with quantum-dots is evaluated by fluorescence analysis. Moreover, we apply femtosecond laser-induced stimulation to evaluate the spatiotemporal activity patterns in cultured neuronal networks. These methods have the potential to modulate synaptic transmission of a particular neuron in neuronal networks without any drugs and genes.