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The Birth of Optogenetics

Posted by Soulskill on from the lasers-on-the-brain dept.

Dr. Tom writes "Scientists at MIT and other labs have created transgenic neurons that fire when exposed to light. The technique targets specific cell types in live primates. They are already talking about the possibilities for therapy and behavior modification by optically stimulating specific brain circuits."

9 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Isn't it dark in there? by DahGhostfacedFiddlah · · Score: 5, Funny

    They are already talking about the possibilities for therapy and behavior modification by optically stimulating specific brain circuits.

    They can talk about it all they want, but until they invent a transparent skull, I'm not sure I see many practical applications.

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    1. Re:Isn't it dark in there? by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 2

      It's the biggest MMO there is, my friend. And it happened way before the internet or computers.

      Cheers!

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      Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
    2. Re:Isn't it dark in there? by kikito · · Score: 2

      Skin is actually light sensitive. Pain receptors are directly connected to neurons. It could be used for torture, if they found a way to replace regular sub-cutaneous skin neurons with photosensitive ones.

  2. Re:Science for the sake of science can be dangerou by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Someone who lives in the basement and never reproduces... reminds me of someone, but I can't remember who.

  3. Another step toward the cartoon universe by Rotifera · · Score: 4, Funny

    where ideas are triggered by lightbulbs turning on inside our heads literally.

  4. Re:Magnetogenetics by Mindcontrolled · · Score: 2

    Hah, I recall a story my NMR prof told in one of his lectures. Back in the 50s, when biomolecular NMR just started out, the theory that memory was based on magnetic fields had been floating around. One of the early masters of NMR thought it was bullshit, and proceeded to stick his head into a magnet assembly producing a field of a couple of Tesla, just to prove his point. Fortunately for him, he proved to be right.

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  5. As much Deisseroth at Stanford as Boyden at MIT by njvack · · Score: 3, Informative

    The summary is a bit remiss in not mentioning Karl Deisseroth's group at Stanford, who have really made this technique practical. I'm at a different (also good) neuroscience lab, and his group's work looks like magic to me -- they've crossed a lot of t's and dotted a lot of i's. It's really, really elegant, and has a lot of therapeutic potential in humans.

    They've made a great video showing optical control of a mouse's motor cortex, and the lab's main optogenetics page has some publications.

    1. Re:As much Deisseroth at Stanford as Boyden at MIT by macwhizkid · · Score: 3, Informative

      Article does mention Karl Deisseroth, just mainly by first name. But yes, Deisseroth's research group pioneered most of this research, which truly is spectacularly cool.

      Here's a Wired article from last year that explains optogenetics in prose more familiar to the average Slashdot user. And a YouTube video of Deisseroth giving an overview of his work.

      I've been lucky enough to see Deisseroth speak a couple of times (always in a packed auditorium). The pace at which he displays his results and the value of the results themselves is almost mind-boggling. He'll talk about a really great result they got with an experiment inhibiting fear in mice (if I recall, they targeted the amygdala and then showed the animal hiding in corners of the cage until they turn on the laser and he runs across the open space) and then before you can wrap your brain around it he's already moved on to talking about revolutionizing Parkinson's research by selectively inhibiting dopaminergic neurons.

      As if inventing a groundbreaking technique and using it to solve all kinds of interesting problems isn't enough, Deisseroth has also been very proactive about sharing his techniques and methods, to the point that his lab actually holds workshops for other neuroscientists to learn how to do similar work. A pretty awesome guy all around, and I suspect he'll be the recipient of a Nobel Prize before too long.

  6. Re:Science for the sake of science can be dangerou by sadness203 · · Score: 3, Informative

    A retrovirus is made to "attack" the DNA of a cell. A neuron is not made for that, it can't inject new DNA to other cells.

    Plus, a neuron don't divide as other cells do. Well, it happen for specific type of neuron, but it mostly stem cells. So most of them don't divide, and if they do, they will divide as the same cell, with the same DNA markers.

    You should try real science, instead of trying to scares people with random Hollywood scenarios.