Controlling Monkey Brains and Behavior With Light

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers reporting online on July 26 in Current Biology have for the first time shown that they can control the behavior of monkeys by using pulses of blue light to very specifically activate particular brain cells (abstract). The findings represent a key advance for optogenetics, a state-of-the-art method for making causal connections between brain activity and behavior. Based on the discovery, the researchers say that similar light-based mind control could likely also be made to work in humans for therapeutic ends."

Comments

Mind control..

[vistapwns]

Great, now I'll need to find some matching sun glasses to go with my tin foil hat..

Re:Mind control..

[Samantha Wright]

This pair should do. you need something with decent protection from 480 nm.

But realistically, as long as you don't have any exposed trepanations or evidence of brain surgery, you're probably okay.

Task Orientated

[Sponge Bath]

With the proper feedback mechanism the primate can be compelled to perform a variety of directed tasks. One such method is the mod point.

Re:Task Orientated

[mister_playboy]

That doesn't matter for all of us already sitting at the karma cap.

Still waiting for /. to release an expansion so I can level up past "Excellent".

Prior art:

[Anonymous Coward]

Americans and TV

Life Imitates Art..

[Brickwall]

Controlling people's behaviour with light impulses was part of the plot line in last week's episode of "Continuum".

Typical Slashdot sociopaths...

[Anonymous Coward]

Loads of stupid, moronic posts about this, as if it's all a 'bit of a laugh', right?

Do you know what the word 'pain' means? Have you ever experienced it?

Couldn't your sociopathic minds even begin to wonder what those monkeys went through? Why no video footage of this pointless 'research'? Wouldn't that be hugely beneficial for other scientists? Oh wait - we can't have the public seeing what these nutcases do to animals, can we.

God help your children (if any of you wankers manage to ever have any) - imagine having a father who can't feel your emotions, and can only pretend to be 'normal' and empathic.

Only if you've had your brain injected...

[Ungrounded Lightning]

Great, now I'll need to find some matching sun glasses to go with my tin foil hat.

Only if you've had your brain injected with the artificial retroviral biotech material.

This is just an application of an existing technology to primates. No big news.

The technique involves injecting the brain in the desired region with an artificial retrovirus-like agent. This contains a gene for an artificial surface protein that triggers the nerve to fire when exposed to a particular color of light, along with a promoter that activates the gene only in the correct type of neuron. The combination of the selective promoter and selective injection site makes it possible to target a particular set of nerves.

A couple of similar gene hacks can be used to get output by making selected cells flash in one of two colors when they fire.

(I read TFA hoping they'd found a way to use light to fire general nerves without first modifying them. But that was apparently not the case.)

So if the mind controllers haven't been drilling holes in your skull and sticking needles into your brain you don't need the shades.

Yet. B-)