Infrared (IR) neuromodulation (INM) is an emerging light-based neuromodulation approach that can reversibly control neuronal and muscular activities through the transient and localized deposition of pulsed IR light without requiring any chemical or genetic pre-treatment of the target cells. Though the efficacy and short-term safety of INM have been widely demonstrated in both peripheral and central nervous systems, the investigations of the detailed cellular and biological processes and the underlying biophysical mechanisms are still ongoing. In this review, we discuss the current research progress in the INM field with a focus on the more recently discovered IR nerve inhibition. Major biophysical mechanisms associated with IR nerve stimulation are summarized. As the INM effects are primarily attributed to the spatiotemporal thermal transients induced by water and tissue absorption of pulsed IR light, temperature monitoring techniques and simulation models adopted in INM studies are discussed. Potential translational applications, current limitations, and challenges of the field are elucidated to provide guidance for future INM research and advancement.

中文翻译：

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红外神经调节——综述


红外 (IR) 神经调节 (INM) 是一种新兴的基于光的神经调节方法，可以通过脉冲红外光的瞬时和局部沉积来可逆地控制神经元和肌肉活动，而不需要对靶细胞进行任何化学或遗传预处理。尽管 INM 的功效和短期安全性已在周围和中枢神经系统中得到广泛证明，但对详细细胞和生物过程以及潜在生物物理机制的研究仍在进行中。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了 INM 领域当前的研究进展，重点是最近发现的 IR 神经抑制。总结了与红外神经刺激相关的主要生物物理机制。由于INM效应主要归因于水和组织吸收脉冲红外光引起的时空热瞬变，因此讨论了INM研究中采用的温度监测技术和模拟模型。阐明了该领域潜在的转化应用、当前的局限性和挑战，为未来的 INM 研究和进步提供指导。