Terahertz Radiation Stimulates Neurite Growth in PC12 Derived Neurons During Development Phase: Preliminary Study

Recently, it was demonstrated that Terahertz (THz) radiation facilitates elongation of tubulin microtubules and actin microfilaments. The phenomenon could have a dramatic impact on living cells, especially in the phase of cell development when dramatic structural changes in cytoskeleton occur. In this study, the THz/Far-IR Beamline of Australian Synchrotron was used as a broadband source of THz radiation to stimulate perturbation in cytoskeleton structure in neuronal culture. Preliminary results indicate alterations of neurite shape and length in THz exposed cell cultures.