Neurons communicate by firing electrical pulses, but scientists have found hints that neurons may transmit light as well. Researchers at the University of Rochester have begun an ambitious project to study if living neurons can transmit light through their axons.
Postigo et al. aim to see if neurons can transport light like fiber-optic communications channels. Image credit: Gemini AI.
The nervous system is one of the most complex expressions of biological evolution. Its high performance mostly relies on the basic principle of the action potential.
Several studies focused on the possible role of photons in neural communication and provided evidence of the transfer of photons through axons — the long, tail-like nerve fibers of neurons that resemble optical fibers.
“There are scientific papers offering indications that light transport could happen in neuron axons, but there’s still not clear experimental evidence,” said University of Rochester’s Professor Pablo Postigo.
“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 neuron’s axon is less than two microns wide, so if you want to measure the optical properties, you need to use nanophotonic techniques,” Professor Postigo said.
“If there is light transmission, it may happen with very tiny amounts of light, even a single photon at a time.”
Professor Postigo and colleagues plan to design probes that are able to interact optically with living neurons.
“Using the photonic nanoprobes, we will inject light into the neuron axon and detect the outcoming photons,” they said.
“If the neuron’s axon can transmit light, we will measure the light’s wavelengths and intensities.”
