
Proceedings Paper
THz in biology and medicine: toward quantifying and understanding the interaction of millimeter- and submillimeter-waves with cells and cell processesFormat | Member Price | Non-Member Price |
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Paper Abstract
As the application and commercial use of millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength radiation become more widespread,
there is a growing need to understand and quantify both the coupling mechanisms and the impact of this long wavelength
energy on biological function. Independent of the health impact of high doses of radio frequency (RF) energy on full
organisms, which has been extensively investigated, there exists the potential for more subtle effects, which can best be
quantified in studies which examine real-time changes in cellular functions as RF energy is applied. In this paper we
present the first real time examination of RF induced changes in cellular activity at absorbed power levels well below the
existing safe exposure limits. Fluorescence microscopy imaging of immortalized epithelial and neuronal cells in vitro
indicate increased cellular membrane permeability and nanoporation after short term exposure to modest levels (10-50
mW/cm2) of RF power at 60 GHz. Sensitive patch clamp measurements on pyramidal neurons in cortical slices of
neonatal rats showed a dramatic increase in cellular membrane permeability resulting either in suppression or facilitation
of neuronal activity during exposure to sub-μW/cm2 of RF power at 60 GHz. Non-invasive modulation of neuronal
activity could prove useful in a variety of health applications from suppression of peripheral neuropathic pain to
treatment of central neurological disorders.
Paper Details
Date Published: 22 February 2010
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 7562, Optical Interactions with Tissues and Cells XXI, 75620H (22 February 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.845380
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7562:
Optical Interactions with Tissues and Cells XXI
E. Duco Jansen; Robert J. Thomas, Editor(s)
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 7562, Optical Interactions with Tissues and Cells XXI, 75620H (22 February 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.845380
Show Author Affiliations
Peter H. Siegel, California Institute of Technology (United States)
Victor Pikov, Huntington Medical Research Institutes (United States)
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7562:
Optical Interactions with Tissues and Cells XXI
E. Duco Jansen; Robert J. Thomas, Editor(s)
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