Speaker : Danijela GREGUREC, WISNA Professor, Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander Universitat
"From Magnetic Fields to Neural Activity: Nanoscale Pathways for Wireless Neuromodulation"
Magnetic nanomaterials offer unique opportunities to interface with the nervous system by converting externally applied magnetic fields into local physical stimuli. In this talk, I will introduce different nanoscale pathways for wireless neuromodulation and show how magnetic materials can generate thermal, mechanical, and electrical signals capable of interacting with neurons.
I will discuss how the properties of magnetic nanomaterials can be engineered to control these different modes of energy transduction, from heat generation and force production to electrical polarization, and how they can engage different mechanisms of neuronal activation. I will then focus on our work on magnetomechanical neuromodulation, where anisotropic magnetic nanostructures generate nanoscale forces that interact with the intrinsic mechanosensitivity of neuronal membranes. I will present examples spanning material design, cellular studies of mechanosensitive pathways, and modulation of neural activity in vivo.
Together, these approaches illustrate how controlling the conversion of magnetic energy into biologically relevant signals can provide new tools for investigating neural function and contribute to the development of minimally invasive neurotechnologies.
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Conference location
Please join the conference in Paris Brain Institute auditorium.