Articles tagged with Optogenetics
MIT researchers successfully control muscle movement in awake and alert mice by applying blue light to their spinal cords via optogenetics. This technique reveals the function of inhibitory interneurons that form complex circuits with other neurons, allowing for precise control over specific subsets of neurons.
A Stanford team has re-engineered light-sensitive proteins to switch cells off more efficiently, enabling researchers to better understand brain circuits involved in behavior and emotion. This breakthrough improves the precision of optogenetics, a technique used to study biological systems with electrical signals.
Researchers at Ruhr-University Bochum have created a novel method for controlling serotonin receptors using light, which could lead to more effective treatments for anxiety disorders. By utilizing optogenetic tools, the scientists were able to modulate mouse emotional behavior and reduce anxiety-like behaviors.
Researchers have discovered a new, red-light-sensitive opsin called Chrimson that enables the independent control of two brain populations. The new opsin was found in a screen of algae and can mediate neural activity in response to red light with high precision.
Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are using optogenetics to study the neurochemical basis of addiction. The technology allows them to control specific populations of brain cells using light, providing new direction on patterns of dopamine cell activation that may be most effective to target alcohol drinking.
Researchers compared optogenetics and electrical stimulation in nonhuman primates, finding that both techniques increased accuracy in visual decision-making. Optogenetics showed advantages in precision and simultaneous recording of neural activity.
Researchers have identified the precise causal link between neuronal activity in the lateral hypothalamus and REM sleep. Using optogenetics, they were able to induce and manipulate REM sleep in mice, providing a breakthrough in understanding sleep mechanisms and potentially leading to new therapeutic strategies.
Researchers used optogenetics to re-establish normal behavior in mice with obsessive-compulsive disorder-like symptoms. Light stimulation attenuated compulsive behavior, and the approach may help identify dysfunctional neuron circuits contributing to the disorder.
A new tool developed by UT Arlington physicist Samarendra Mohanty has the potential to map and track neuronal interactions in the brain. The fiber-optic, two-photon, optogenetic stimulator uses low-energy near-infrared light to precisely excite neurons, allowing researchers to understand how brain connections function.
Researchers developed ultrathin, flexible optoelectronic devices, including LEDs the size of individual neurons, to illuminate brain mysteries. These devices enable precise control and direct interaction with brain tissue, opening up new ways for neuroscientists to study complex behaviors and neural circuits.
A new US patent application allows for methods of restoring visual responses using optogenetic compounds, covering channelrhodopsin and halorhodopsin variants. The approved patent will substantively expand RetroSense's IP estate, providing broad protection for their gene therapies.
Scientists have successfully controlled monkey behavior using optogenetics by activating specific brain cells with blue light. This breakthrough could lead to the development of therapeutic treatments for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and depression.
Biophysicists have elucidated the switching mechanism of channelrhodopsin, a protein crucial for optogenetics. The research sheds light on how water molecules penetrate the cell membrane, enabling the protein to conduct ions. This breakthrough paves the way for more precise neurobiological applications.
Researchers at Stanford Medicine have engineered human heart cells that respond to light, using optogenetics. These light-sensitive cells could lead to a new class of pacemakers and genetically matched replacement heart cells, potentially replacing traditional electrical pacemakers and addressing tissue rejection issues.
The invention of optogenetics enables scientists to control and observe brain circuits using genetically encoded molecules targeted by light. This technique reveals how entire neural circuits operate, allowing researchers to determine the roles of specific neurons in various behaviors and brain functions.
Karl Deisseroth receives $10,000 HFSP Nakasone Award for his groundbreaking research on optogenetics, a technique that uses light to manipulate neuronal activity.
Researchers at Stanford University and Brown University are developing new technologies to understand brain function and encourage recovery from injury. The project aims to create implantable devices that can sense brain signals and deliver optogenetic light pulses to neural tissue.
Researchers at Stanford University have made major advances in the optogenetics technique, enabling a wider range of experiments with larger animals. The new capabilities include using any visible color of light and harnessing intracellular trafficking to spread the optogenetic effect throughout brain circuits.
Researchers used photoswitches to target enigmatic nerve cells in zebrafish, finding they trigger burst swimming and lower threshold for reflex movement. The discovery could have implications for human neurological disorders.