Optogenetics News and Research

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Experts to present diverse advances in neuromodulation at INS congress

Experts will present diverse advances in neuromodulation from May 27 to June 1, 2017 at the 13th World Congress of the International Neuromodulation Society in Edinburgh, Scotland.

30 Mar 2017

Cerebellar stimulation improves schizophrenia-like thinking problems in rats

"A beautiful, lobular structure," is how Krystal Parker describes the cerebellum - a brain region located at the base of the skull just above the spinal column.

28 Mar 2017

MPFI researchers develop new tool to study CaMKII kinetics in learning and memory

As we learn, the structure of individual neurons in our brains change to strengthen important connections and weaken less important ones, a process known as structural plasticity.

16 Mar 2017

Pittcon 2017: reflections from the floor

Pittcon 2017 commenced with a fascinating talk by world-renowned optogenetics expert Dr. Karl Deisseroth, D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

From Pittcon 9 Mar 2017

Bruker showcases innovative high-performance systems and high-value analytical solutions at Pittcon 2017

Bruker (NASDAQ: BRKR) is showcasing a selection of innovative high-performance systems and high-value analytical solutions at Pittcon 2017 (www.pittcon.org), with an emphasis on pharma and applied markets, as well as on nano-materials research and microscopy.

From Bruker BioSpin Division 7 Mar 2017

Advances in Optogenetics

Optogenetics is a way of introducing information into the brain using light, it targets specific cells or connections across the brain. It is fast, like brain signaling, and helps you communicate with neural circuitry in a language more similar to what is normally used within the brain.

From Pittcon 2 Mar 2017

Single flexible fiber delivers combination of signals back and forth into the brain

For the first time ever, a single flexible fiber no bigger than a human hair has successfully delivered a combination of optical, electrical, and chemical signals back and forth into the brain, putting into practice an idea first proposed two years ago.

23 Feb 2017

BIDMC review focuses on neural circuitry of wakefulness and sleep

Sleep remains an enduring biological mystery with major clinical relevance, according to a review by clinician-researcher Thomas Scammell, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and colleagues.

23 Feb 2017

Study provides insights into how excess serotonin affects motivation

A new study in mice shows that increasing serotonin, one of the major mediators of brain communication, affects motivation - but only in certain circumstances. Furthermore, the study revealed that the short and long term effects of increased serotonin levels are opposed - a completely unforeseen property of this neurotransmitter's functional system.

15 Feb 2017

Study provides new insights into roles of different subareas in prefrontal cortex

Whether the brain responds to an external stimulus or not depends significantly on the balance between areas of excitation and inhibition in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

10 Feb 2017

Switching off brain regions helps better understand link between neural circuits and behaviour

Switching off specific brain regions in a laboratory animal is an important type of experiment used to better understand how the brain works.

24 Jan 2017

Stroke-injured rat brain forms functioning connections with transplanted neurons, study shows

Today, a stroke usually leads to permanent disability - but in the future, the stroke-injured brain could be reparable by replacing dead cells with new, healthy neurons, using transplantation.

24 Jan 2017

Scientists develop new technique to control proteins inside live cells with light

Proteins are the workhorse molecules of life. Among their many jobs, they carry oxygen, build tissue, copy DNA for the next generation, and coordinate events within and between cells.

6 Jan 2017

New tool explains how proteins assemble into different liquid and gel-like solid states

A tool that uses light to manipulate matter inside living cells has begun to explain how proteins assemble into different liquid and gel-like solid states, a key to understanding many critical cellular operations.

30 Dec 2016

Qioptiq to unveil new wavelength pairing for iFLEX-Gemini laser series at SPIE Photonics West

Qioptiq, an Excelitas Technologies Company and global technology leader in delivering innovative optical and photonic solutions, will present its new wavelength pairing for the popular iFLEX-Gemini Dual-Wavelength Laser Series with new 488/647nm wavelengths at SPIE Photonics West.

From Excelitas Technologies 20 Dec 2016

New approach uses silicon-based photonic probe to deliver light deep within brain tissues

The ability to stimulate neural circuits with very high precision light to control cells -- optogenetics -- is key to exciting advances in the study and mapping of the living brain.

8 Dec 2016

Pittcon announce speaker for Wallace H Coulter lecture

The Pittcon Program Committee is extremely pleased to announce that Dr. Karl Deisseroth, the D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will deliver the Wallace H. Coulter lecture at Pittcon 2017.

From Pittcon 5 Dec 2016

BIDMC researchers discover neural circuitry that plays role in promoting satiety

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center researchers have identified previously unknown neural circuitry that plays a role in promoting satiety, the feeling of having had enough to eat.

22 Nov 2016

SCAPE microscopy forms real-time 3D images of living organisms

Mannheim/Wetzlar, Germany. Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH has entered into an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with Columbia University in New York to commercialize SCAPE microscopy for Life Science applications. SCAPE (swept confocally aligned planar excitation) microscopy forms 3D images of living samples by scanning them with a sheet of laser light.

From Leica Microsystems GmbH 8 Nov 2016

Vanderbilt scientists develop new bioluminescent sensor that can light up brain cells in the dark

A new kind of bioluminescent sensor causes individual brain cells to imitate fireflies and glow in the dark.

27 Oct 2016