This protocol outlines how to use the transient heating associated with the optical absorption of gold nanorods to stimulate differentiation and intracellular calcium activity in neuronal cells. These results potentially open up new applications in neural prostheses and fundamental studies in neuroscience.
Paviolo, C., McArthur, S. L., Stoddart, P. R. Gold Nanorod-assisted Optical Stimulation of Neuronal Cells. J. Vis. Exp. (98), e52566, doi:10.3791/52566 (2015).