This article investigates the effect of 0.6 THz CW radiation on amyloid fibril protein aggregates linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and frontotemporal dementia. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques observed an increase in the intermolecular forces in the protein fibrils resulting from THz radiation exposure that was attributable to environmental changes such as hydration. However, atomic force microscopy-assisted infrared (AFM-IR) spectroscopy observed nonthermal effects on the protein with a weakening of the intermolecular forces in the fibrils as the main observed effect when only the protein contribution was observed and the THz field increased, potentially leading to disassembly of the fibrils with further increasing field exposure.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10614737