Optogenetics News and Research

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Researchers identify new mechanism that causes hallmark symptoms of Parkinson's disease

A KAIST research team has identified a new mechanism that causes the hallmark symptoms of Parkinson's disease, namely tremors, rigidity, and loss of voluntary movement.

26 Sep 2017

Leading researchers join forces to create a “standard model” of the brain

Leading neuroscientists are teaming up to study the brain in a way that is modelled on physics projects, where researchers look for new particles.

19 Sep 2017

Scientists use magnetic nanoparticles to trigger activity deep inside the brain

Scientists have used magnetism to activate tiny groups of cells in the brain, inducing bodily movements that include running, rotating and losing control of the extremities -- an achievement that could lead to advances in studying and treating neurological disease.

17 Aug 2017

IBS scientists control memory by modulating synchronized brain waves during deep sleep

Have you ever tried to recall something just before going to sleep and then wake up with the memory fresh in your mind? While we absorb so much information during the day consciously or unconsciously, it is during shut eye that a lot of facts are dispatched to be filed away or fall into oblivion.

6 Jul 2017

Researchers develop new technique to capture neuron activity

Many cognitive processes, such as decision-making, take place within seconds or minutes. Neuroscientists have longed to capture neuron activity during such tasks, but that dream has remained elusive -- until now.

27 Jun 2017

Sour-sensing taste cells play key role in detecting water on the tongue

New research from Caltech shows that sour-sensing taste cells play an important role in detecting water on the tongue.

1 Jun 2017

Research could lead to development of new therapies that reduce pathological fear in PTSD

Research published by scientists at the University of California, Riverside on "fear memory" could lead to the development of therapies that reduce the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

16 May 2017

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy manufacturer Luxendo acquired by Bruker

Bruker announces that it has acquired Luxendo, a privately held spin-off of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) that develops and manufactures proprietary light-sheet fluorescence microscopy instruments.

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 9 May 2017

Light can be used to control cellular functions, optogenetics study shows

Light can be used as an accurate method to control gene expression, shows groundbreaking optogenetics study by University of Colorado, Duke University and University of Helsinki researchers.

21 Apr 2017

Synthetic biologists engineer gut bacteria capable of sensing colitis

Synthetic biologists at Rice University have engineered gut bacteria capable of sensing colitis, an inflammation of the colon, in mice.

6 Apr 2017

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 - NMR, EPR and Imaging 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