Scientists have developed a way to remotely control the release of adrenal hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

Previous studies have linked problems with the regulation of hormones from the adrenal gland with mental health disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The new research, detailed in the journal Science Advances, could help scientists investigate the links between hormones and mental health disorders, as well as develop new therapies for depression, anxiety and PTSD.

"We're looking how can we study and eventually treat stress disorders by modulating peripheral organ function, rather than doing something highly invasive in the central nervous system," study co-author Polina Anikeeva, professor of materials science and engineering and of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, told MIT News.

To remotely control the release of hormones, scientists targeted ion channels that regulate the flow of calcium into adrenal cells. When calcium levels rise, cells in the adrenal glands begin to pump up hormone production.

"If we want to modulate the release of those hormones, we need to be able to essentially modulate the influx of calcium into adrenal cells," said lead study author Dekel Rosenfeld, an MIT postdoc in Anikeeva's group.

Scientists decided to use heat to manipulate the calcium ion channels. The channels produce more calcium in response to thermal energy.

Researchers developed special nanoparticles made out of magnetite, tiny magnetic crystals composed of iron oxide. The nanoparticles can be injected into the adrenal gland. When exposed to a weak magnetic field, the nanoparticles heat up and trigger the production of calcium.

In lab tests, nanoparticles injected into the adrenal glands of rats stayed there for at least six months. When exposed to a weak magnetic field, the nanoparticles heated up 6 degrees Celsius -- enough to release the flow calcium from the ion channels, but not so much as to damage surrounding tissue.

In response to the increased flow of calcium, the adrenal glands of the lab rats doubled cortisol production and increased noradrenaline production by 25 percent.

The heat-sensitive ion channels targeted by scientists and their novel nanoparticles -- called TRPV1 channels -- are found in most mammals and are linked with a variety of neurons, including pain receptors.

Scientists expect their breakthrough technology to be used to study the effects of hormone release on mental health disorders like PTSD. In the future, remote adrenal gland modulation could be used to treat depression, anxiety and PTSD. The technology could also be used to study and treat pain disorders.

"Being able to modulate pain receptors with this technique potentially will allow us to study pain, control pain and have some clinical applications in the future, which hopefully may offer an alternative to medications or implants for chronic pain," Anikeeva said.

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