Optogenetics News and Research

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Next-generation tissue implant allows neuroscientists to wirelessly control neurons inside the brains of mice

A study showed that scientists can wirelessly determine the path a mouse walks with a press of a button. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, created a remote controlled, next-generation tissue implant that allows neuroscientists to inject drugs and shine lights on neurons deep inside the brains of mice.

17 Jul 2015

New project aims to revolutionize application of optogenetics in neuroscience

The revolution that optogenetics technology has brought to biology -- neuroscience in particular -- could be transformed all over again if a new project getting underway at Brown University and Central Michigan University is successful.

17 Jul 2015

New findings can help scientists generate tailor-made proteins optimized for use in optogenetics

Optogenetics techniques, which allow scientists to map and control nerve cells using light stimulation, are being used to study neural circuits in the brain with unprecedented precision. This revolutionary technology relies on light-sensitive proteins such as channelrhodopsins, and researchers at UC Santa Cruz have now determined the molecular mechanism involved in the light-induced activation of one of these proteins.

7 Jul 2015

UTHealth researchers discover new light-activated proteins that work as 'off switches' for brain cells

Light switches for neurons have made enormous contributions to brain research by giving investigators access to "on switches" for brain cells. But, finding "off switches" has been much more challenging.

2 Jul 2015

Israeli researchers establish novel optogenetic method for cardiac pacing and resynchronization

Israeli researchers have successfully established a new approach for pacing the heart and synchronizing its mechanical activity without the use of a conventional electrical pacemaker. This novel biologic strategy employs light-sensitive genes that can be injected into the heart and then activated by flashes of blue light.

23 Jun 2015

Researchers explore new approaches to designing prosthetic limb with the ability to feel

Researchers are exploring new approaches to designing prosthetic hands capable of providing "sensory feedback." Advances toward developing prostheses with a sense of touch are presented in a special topic article in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

30 May 2015

MIT researchers find neural circuit that appears to cause decision-making in approach-avoidance conflict

Some decisions arouse far more anxiety than others. Among the most anxiety-provoking are those that involve options with both positive and negative elements, such choosing to take a higher-paying job in a city far from family and friends, versus choosing to stay put with less pay.

29 May 2015

Study sheds light on specific roles for dopamine in reward process

Dopamine is the chemical messenger in the brain most closely associated with pleasure and reward. Recent scientific advances now shed light on precise roles for dopamine in the reward process.

12 May 2015

Brandeis University researchers discover brain abnormality responsible for schizophrenic symptoms

Schizophrenia affects millions of people worldwide but the cause of its wide-ranging symptoms remains largely unknown.

8 May 2015

New priority program set to develop next generation of optogenetic tools

Optogenetics is a new field of research that introduces light-sensitive proteins into cells in a genetically targeted manner, for example, to obtain information on signalling pathways and the function of neurons in a living organism.

10 Apr 2015

Neuroscientists reveal how olfaction is encoded in the brain

In a study that helps to deconstruct how olfaction is encoded in the brain, neuroscientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a type of neuron that appears to help tune, amplify and dampen neuronal responses to chemosensory inputs from the nasal cavity.

10 Mar 2015

Carnegie Mellon study identifies intermediary neuron system that acts as synaptic cloaking device

Neuroscientists believe that the connectome, a map of each and every connection between the millions of neurons in the brain, will provide a blueprint that will allow them to link brain anatomy to brain function. But a new study from Carnegie Mellon University has found that a specific type of neuron might be thwarting their efforts at mapping the connectome by temporarily cloaking the synapses that link a wide field of neurons.

27 Feb 2015

MGH, MIT researchers reveal how the brain controls different sleep states

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have added another piece to the complex puzzle of how the brain controls one of the most essential functions - sleep.

4 Feb 2015

Vanderbilt researchers discover new reset button for the brain's master biological clock

The discovery of a new reset button for the brain's master biological clock could eventually lead to new treatments for conditions like seasonal affective disorder, reduce the adverse health effects of working the night shift and possibly even cure jet lag.

3 Feb 2015

CUMC researcher develops new 3D microscope that can help view living things at very high speeds

Opening new doors for biomedical and neuroscience research, Elizabeth Hillman, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering and of radiology at Columbia University Medical Center, has developed a new microscope that can image living things in 3D at very high speeds.

20 Jan 2015

Brain uses separate pathway to recall old fear memories

People with anxiety disorders, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often experience prolonged and exaggerated fearfulness. Now, an animal study suggests that this might involve disruption of a gradual shifting of brain circuitry for retrieving fear memories. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered in rats that an old fear memory is recalled by a separate brain pathway from the one originally used to recall it when it was fresh.

20 Jan 2015

New study explores reliability of optogenetics as method of intervention of temporal lobe seizures

Optogenetics is one of the hottest tools in biomedical research today, a method that uses gene therapy to deliver light-sensitive proteins into specific cells. This new tool allows researchers to interact with a single cell or a network of cells with exquisite precision. Whereas imaging and other technologies allow researchers to watch the brain in action, optogenetics enables them to influence those actions.

7 Dec 2014

Olympus to host fifth annual neuroimaging symposium in conjunction with 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience

Olympus is hosting its fifth annual neuroimaging symposium in conjunction with the 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) on Monday, November 17 at 6:30pm in Washington DC. The Olympus Neuroimaging Symposium and reception will be held at the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, 901 Massachusetts Avenue NW, in the Capitol and Congress ballrooms. It is open to all media and registered SfN attendees.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 10 Nov 2014

Epilepsy: A true window on the brain

Rapidly emerging technologies, novel imaging techniques, the development of new therapies and new genes, have given researchers and clinicians an extraordinary ability to explore the brain at the cellular, genetic and neural levels. While current epilepsy research may seem like it's ripped from the pages of a science fiction novel, it's real—and even pretty cool.

6 Nov 2014

Light-activated diabetes drug: an interview with Dr David Hodson

We've known about chemicals that can be light-activated for about five to ten years now. They’ve mainly all been applied to neurons and, more specifically, the retina. Nobody has ever really looked at any tissues outside of the nervous system.

5 Nov 2014