Optical technologies allowing modulation of neuronal activity at high spatio-temporal resolution are becoming paramount in neuroscience. In this respect, azobenzene-based photoswitches are promising nanoscale tools for neuronal photostimulation. Here we engineered a light-sensitive azobenzene compound (Ziapin2) that stably partitions into the plasma membrane and causes its thinning through trans-dimerization in the dark, resulting in an increased membrane capacitance at steady state. We demonstrated that in neurons loaded with the compound, millisecond pulses of visible light induce a transient hyperpolarization followed by a delayed depolarization that triggers action potential firing. These effects are persistent and can be evoked in vivo up to 7 days, proving the potential of Ziapin2 for the modulation of membrane capacitance in the millisecond timescale, without directly affecting ion channels or local temperature.

中文翻译：

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膜靶向光电开关对神经元的发射进行调制。

允许以高时空分辨率调节神经元活动的光学技术在神经科学中变得至关重要。在这方面，基于偶氮苯的光开关是用于神经元光刺激的有前途的纳米级工具。在这里，我们设计了一种光敏的偶氮苯化合物（Ziapin2），该化合物稳定地分配到质膜中，并在黑暗中通过反式二聚作用使其变薄，从而导致稳态下的膜电容增加。我们证明，在装有该化合物的神经元中，毫秒级的可见光脉冲会引起瞬态超极化，然后延迟去极化，从而触发动作电位触发。这些作用是持久的，可以在体内长达7天引起，