Tag

Optogenetics

All articles tagged with #optogenetics

health-and-medicine2 days ago•0 min saved

Optogenetic Trial Shows Partial Vision Restoration in 10 Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that optogenetic gene therapy can safely restore partial vision in people with advanced retinitis pigmentosa. In a trial of 10 participants, six showed clinically meaningful improvements in light sensitivity, and some regained the ability to detect objects and navigate simple tasks using custom goggles. The therapy, which leverages Nobel Prize-winning technology, involves a single injection to make surviving ganglion cells light-sensitive. While results are limited to monochrome perception and do not yet restore facial recognition, researchers aim to achieve high-resolution vision within five to 10 years.

via The Guardian|

#gene-therapy #health-and-medicine #nobel-prize

science-and-medicine2 days ago•7 min saved

Stanford’s Karl Deisseroth Wins 2026 Nobel for Optogenetics, Sparking Global Praise

Karl Deisseroth, a Stanford professor of bioengineering and psychiatry, has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering work in optogenetics. The award, announced on October 5, 2026, recognizes his development of a technique that uses light to control specific nerve cells in living brains. Deisseroth shares the prize with Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, with the three laureates splitting a total of 12 million Swedish crowns. The announcement triggered widespread celebration among his family, former students, and colleagues, who highlighted his relentless work ethic and generosity in sharing scientific tools. Deisseroth stated he plans to return immediately to research, emphasizing the need to continue discovering new treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.

via Stanford Medicine|

#karl-deisseroth #neuroscience #nobel-prize

science3 days ago•392 min saved

2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine Honors Optogenetics Pioneers for Brain Control Breakthrough

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing optogenetics, a technique that allows scientists to activate or inhibit specific nerve cells in living brains using light. The prize, announced on October 5, 2026, recognizes their work in mapping neural circuits and understanding the biological basis of behaviors and disorders. The three laureates share a prize sum of 12 million Swedish crowns (approximately $1.2 million).

via NBC News|

#2026-nobel-laureates #karl-deisseroth #neuroscience

science3 days ago•121 min saved

Nobel Laureate Karl Deisseroth Plans School Lunches After Optogenetics Prize

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing optogenetics, a technique using light to control neurons. Deisseroth, a Stanford professor, learned of the award late at night and planned to prepare his children's school lunches before celebrating.

via AP News|

#brain-research #karl-deisseroth #neuroscience

science4 days ago•2 min saved

Nobel Prize honors optogenetics pioneers for light-based brain control

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for developing optogenetics. This technique uses light to activate or inhibit specific neurons in living brains, enabling precise study of neural circuits. The discovery, rooted in algae-derived proteins, offers new pathways for treating conditions like blindness, depression, and Parkinson’s disease.

via WBUR|

#brain-disorders #karl-deisseroth #neuroscience

science4 days ago•19 min saved

Deisseroth, Hegemann, and Nagel Win Nobel for Optogenetics Breakthrough

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control nerve cells in living brains. The award recognizes their work in mapping neural circuits and understanding the biological basis of behaviors and disorders.

via Stanford University|

#brain-research #karl-deisseroth #neuroscience

science5 days ago•220 min saved

2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine honors optogenetics pioneers for brain mapping breakthrough

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control and map neural activity. This innovation allows scientists to identify specific brain circuits responsible for behaviors and disorders, potentially leading to new treatments for conditions like depression and blindness.

via CNN|

#brain-research #karl-deisseroth #neuroscience

science5 days ago•125 min saved

Nobel Prize in Medicine Awards Optogenetics Pioneers for Brain Mapping

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for the development of optogenetics. This technique uses light to control nerve cells, allowing scientists to map brain functions and study neurological disorders.

via AP News|

#brain-research #karl-deisseroth #neuroscience

science20 days ago•100 min saved

Reciprocal V1–LM wiring crafts cross-area consensus via line attractor dynamics

In mice, researchers recorded activity from V1 and LM during visual processing and used an iLQR-VAE–based latent circuit model to reveal that reciprocal excitatory connections between V1 and LM implement a line attractor, selectively slowing congruent activity decay while accelerating decay of incongruent patterns to dynamically align activity across areas. The resulting distinct timescales for consistent vs. inconsistent patterns support dynamic consensus as a general cortical computation principle.

via Nature|

#line-attractor #neocortex #neural-dynamics

science21 days ago•7 min saved

A Tiny Cortical Switch Orchestrates Sleep Across the Brain

A Nature study identifies a rare group of cortical inhibitory neurons (Sst-Chodl) that can initiate sleep across the brain. In mice, activating these cells drives delta waves and REM sleep, shortens time to fall asleep, and influences distant brain regions, suggesting the cortex can actively trigger sleep and may sense sleep pressure—a finding with implications for sleep disorders and future research on brain-wide sleep control.

via Ars Technica|

#brain #cortex #neurons

science1 month ago•8 min saved

Stanford's Optogenetics Pioneering Neuroscientist Aims to Decode Emotions in Real Time

Stanford neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth leads the Human Neural Circuitry program, using millisecond-precision brain recordings and optogenetics to link neural activity with emotions and to develop treatments targeted at specific neural circuits for neuropsychiatric conditions.

via CNN|

#karl-deisseroth #neural-circuitry #neuropsychiatric-disorders

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Orexin Neurons Gate Sustained Motivation, Study Finds

Nagoya University researchers show orexin neurons are a necessary gate for sustained, goal-directed effort: their activity scales with the required effort, suppression lowers motivation, and boosting activity beyond natural levels does not increase motivation. Using a novel orexin-Cre rat model, chemogenetics raised breakpoints on progressive-ratio tasks while fiber photometry showed anticipation-linked orexin activity that intensifies with effort; optogenetic inhibition reduced motivation, but excitation beyond baseline did not boost it. The findings illuminate how reward prediction drives action and suggest targets for motivational deficits in mental illness, with future work on the surrounding circuitry.

via Neuroscience News|

#motivation #neuroscience #optogenetics

science-and-health3 months ago•25 min saved

Brain circuit links social memory to fear, triggering aversion in mice

University of Tokyo researchers identify a hippocampus–amygdala circuit that binds the memory of a familiar mouse to fear, causing avoidance after aggressive encounters; using optogenetics they could strengthen or erase this aversion, with the nucleus accumbens helping translate memory and fear into avoidance. While demonstrated in mice, the findings offer clues about how social memory and negative emotions interact, with potential relevance for anxiety and depression in humans.

via The Japan Times|

#amygdala #hippocampus #neuroscience

science3 months ago•69 min saved

VIP interneuron activation restores motor function in Huntington’s disease model

HD mice exhibit reduced activity in VIP inhibitory neurons and corticostriatal neurons in the motor cortex, correlating with motor deficits. Optogenetic activation of VIP interneurons normalizes their activity and rescues downstream corticostriatal neuron function, producing lasting improvements in movement that persist for days, suggesting cortical inhibition modulation as a potential therapeutic strategy for HD.

via Nature|

#cortical-disinhibition #huntingtons-disease #motor-cortex

neuroscience3 months ago•21 min saved

Inhibitory Overload in the Prefrontal Cortex Linked to Aging Memory Loss

A Neurobiology of Disease study finds that aging-related memory decline may be driven by an excess of inhibitory synapses in the prefrontal cortex. In aged mice, researchers identified two groups—cognitively susceptible and resilient—with the susceptible group showing higher levels of inhibitory markers (Gephyrin, VGAT) and denser inhibitory synapses in the prefrontal cortex. Using optogenetics, activating inhibitory neurons in young mice reproduced memory and exploration deficits, while similar stimulation in aged impaired mice had no additional effect, suggesting a chronic, structure‑level inhibitory load contributes to cognitive decline. The study warns that treatments increasing inhibition could worsen age-related cognitive deficits and notes limitations, including all-male subjects and the artificial nature of the manipulation.

via PsyPost|

#aging #inhibitory-synapses #memory-decline