Membrane potential manipulation with visible flash lamp illumination of targeted microbeads

The electrical membrane potential (Vm) is a key dynamical variable of excitable membranes. Despite the tremendous success of optogenetic methods to modulate Vm with light, there are some shortcomings, such as the need of genetic manipulation and limited time resolution. Direct optical stimulation of gold nanoparticles targeted to cells is an attractive alternative because the absorbed energy heats the membrane and, thus, generates capacitive...