Optogenetics News and Research

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Researchers use optogenetic tool to control, visualize receptor signals in neural cells

Using a novel optogenetic tool, researchers have successfully controlled, reproduced and visualized serotonin receptor signals in neural cells. To this end, they modified a photosensitive membrane receptor in the eye, namely melanopsin.

15 Feb 2019

Researchers identify brain pathways of aversion

What happens in the brain when we feel discomfort? Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are now one step closer to finding the answer. In a new study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry they identify which pathways in the mouse brain control behavior associated with aversion.

14 Feb 2019

Vilcek Foundation prizes awarded to immigrants for their work on human biology and disease

The Vilcek Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Vilcek Foundation Prizes for Biomedical Science, awarded to immigrants who have made significant contributions to the field. Dr. Angelika Amon will receive the $100,000 Vilcek Prize, while Drs. Amit Choudhary, Jeanne T. Paz, and Mikhail G. Shapiro will each receive the $50,000 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise.

8 Feb 2019

NIH grants awarded to Nanoscope to recruit talent and develop optogenetic delivery platforms

Retinal dystrophies such as Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are a major cause of vision loss in aging populations. National Eye Institute (NEI) estimates that the prevalence of advanced AMD will grow to nearly 3 million by 2020.

29 Jan 2019

Studies show broad benefits of rocking motion during sleep

Anyone who has ever put a small child to bed or drifted off in a gently swaying hammock will know that a rocking motion makes getting to sleep seem easier.

25 Jan 2019

Erasing memories could reduce relapse rates among drug addicts

Erasing memories that link environmental cues to drug use could represent a potential new treatment for drug addiction and prevent relapse.

22 Jan 2019

Unexpected connection found between feeding and memory centers of the brain

The search for a mechanism that could explain how the protein complex NCOR1/2 regulates memory has revealed an unexpected connection between the lateral hypothalamus and the hippocampus, the feeding and the memory centers of the brain, respectively.

21 Jan 2019

Study: Brain cells involved in memory play key role in reducing future eating behavior

Brain cells involved in memory play an important role after a meal in reducing future eating behavior, a finding that could be key in understanding and fighting obesity, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

18 Jan 2019

The brain's cerebellum plays role in controlling reward and social behaviors, study shows

A new study in rodents has shown that the brain's cerebellum--known to play a role in motor coordination--also helps control the brain's reward circuitry.

18 Jan 2019

A Light Source in Quantitative Analysis: What Role Does it Play?

In this interview, Claudia Jaffe discusses the importance of illuminators in microscopy and the different types of light used in life science research.

From Lumencor, Inc 7 Jan 2019

New wireless and battery-free implant to control targeted neuron groups

University of Arizona biomedical engineering professor Philipp Gutruf is first author on the paper Fully implantable, optoelectronic systems for battery-free, multimodal operation in neuroscience research, published in Nature Electronics.

3 Jan 2019

Study identifies possible new strategies to treat silent seizures in children

As early as 3 months of age, infants with a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome start having convulsive seizures, during which their arms and legs jerk repeatedly. As they become toddlers, another type of seizure begins to appear.

2 Jan 2019

Device uses light to treat overactive bladder

Researchers have developed an implantable device that could one day treat overactive bladder.

2 Jan 2019

Researchers discover key mechanism in the brain that enables us to rapidly focus attention

University of Queensland researchers have discovered a key mechanism in the brain that may underlie our ability to rapidly focus attention.

28 Dec 2018

Researchers create new light-activated tools for controlling neurons

By enabling super-fast remote control of specific cells, light-activated proteins allow researchers to study the function of individual neurons within a large network - even an entire brain. Now one of the pioneers of 'optogenetics' and colleagues have created two new tools - protein pores which when illuminated allow Ca2+ into cells or K+ out - for switching neurons on or off using light.

6 Dec 2018

Early-life stress in mice hinders neuron development, causing attention problems

Women are roughly twice as likely as men to develop depression, anxiety and other stress-related problems, including difficulty with attention, and new research from Brown University neuroscientists sheds light on the biological reasons why.

28 Nov 2018

Using light to control crucial step in embryonic development

In optogenetics, researchers use light to control protein activity. This technique allows them to alter the shape of embryonic tissue and to inhibit the development of abnormalities.

16 Nov 2018

Salk researchers advance sonogenetics technology for treating neurological conditions

The emerging technology of sonogenetics--a technique where cells are controlled by sound--offers the potential to one day replace pharmaceutical drugs or invasive surgical treatments for neurological conditions like epilepsy, Parkinson's disease or posttraumatic stress disorder.

23 Oct 2018

Study shows how the drive to eat overpowers the brain’s signal to stop

University of Michigan researchers have studied two groups of brain cells that compete for the control of feeding behaviour and found that cells that drive the urge to eat overpower the ones that signal to stop.

21 Sep 2018

Study offers solid link between visceral organs and brain’s reward, motivation system

A novel gut-to-brain neural circuit establishes the vagus nerve as an essential component of the brain system that regulates reward and motivation, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published September 20 in the journal Cell.