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Researchers Switch Neurons Off and On Using Noninvasive Ultrasound

Posted by Soulskill on from the origins-of-a-tasp dept.

Jason Koebler writes: Optogenetics, the ability to control neurons using bursts of light, has been one of the most promising breakthroughs in neurology of this decade. It's been a boon for researchers, but its invasive nature (the brain must usually be exposed) has held the technology back. Sreekanth Chalasani of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies described a new, noninvasive method of controlling neurons using ultrasound pulses in Nature Communications. For the first time ever, he was able to manipulate a genetically modified organism using a new technique called sonogenetics.

1 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Re:misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    1. You can genetically modify neurons locally by viral transfection. You inject an inactivated virus carrying whatever piece of DNA that you want and it will import that into a subset of cells' genome. Hence the use of optogenetics in humans is possible and is actively explored.

    2. Optogenetics techniques are actually two-fold.
                a. You can probe neurons as you described so that they light up when they are active. Very useful for establishing a functional connectome indeed but you could also think of localizing epiletic foci without having to lay down a sheet of electrodes (which have a certain, not so precise, resolution anyway)

                b. You can activate / inactivate neurons with light. Which means you can actually control neuronal activity with light pulses so that they follow closely the pattern you are delivering to them. Very useful in basic research too. But also has therapeutic potential. Think Deep Brain Stimulation without the electrodes. Think Parkinson tremor relief. Or epilepsy control. Or artificial vision.

    3. Depth of light penetration is not an issue. If your laser can not get deep enough (and this is getting improved quickly by engineering optogenetic molecules, both sensors and actuators, with a red-shifted spectrum) you can still deliver the light with an optic fiber.

    This website: http://optogenetics.weebly.com/what-is-it.html seems to have a good introduction