Researchers achieve remote control of hormone release using magnetic nanoparticles

Date posted
Funding Agency
(Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation)

Abnormal levels of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, are linked to a variety of mental health disorders, including depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MIT researchers have now devised a way to remotely control the release of these hormones from the adrenal gland, using magnetic nanoparticles. The researchers plan to use this approach to study how hormone release affects PTSD and other disorders, and they say that it could be adapted for treating such disorders.