Nanoneuro: Plasmonic Nanoparticle Mediated Neuromodulation

PhD Program

Speaker

Teresa Itziar Celaya Garmendia

When

2026/03/17
12:00

Place

CFM Auditorium (Donostia / San Sebastían)

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PhD Thesis defense by Itziar Teresa Celaya Garmendia

Supervisor: Aitzol Garcia Etxarri (DIPC, Ikerbasque) & Rafael Yuste (Neurotechnology Center at Columbia University)

Light-matter interaction

Understanding and controlling neuronal activity with high spatial and temporal precision is a central goal in neurotechnology. This thesis investigates plasmonic nanoparticle-mediated neuromodulation as a minimally invasive strategy to modulate neuronal excitability through localized photothermal heating. Gold nanospheres and gold bipyramids are employed as optical-to-thermal transducers, converting resonant light absorption into nanoscale temperature increases.

Experimentally, gold nanoparticles were applied to acute mouse cortical brain slices while neuronal activity was monitored using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology. Optical stimulation near the plasmon resonance induced changes in neuronal excitability, including membrane depolarization and modulation of firing probability. The results indicate that photothermal heating at the nanoparticle–membrane interface can influence neuronal activity through temperature-dependent membrane mechanisms.

Together, these findings establish a quantitative framework linking nanoparticle optics, nanoscale heat generation, and neuronal electrophysiology, and highlight thermoplasmonics as a promising approach for non-genetic neuromodulation.