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Light Silences Brain Cells

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 6, 2010 – Neuroscientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a powerful new class of tools using different colors of light to reversibly shut down brain activity. When targeted to specific neurons, these tools potentially could lead to new treatments for the abnormal brain activity associated with disorders such as chronic pain, epilepsy, brain injury and Parkinson’s disease. The tools work on the principle that such disorders might best be treated by silencing, rather than stimulating, brain activity. These “super silencers” exert exquisite control...Read full article

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    Published: January 2010
    Glossary
    optogenetics
    A discipline that combines optics and genetics to enable the use of light to stimulate and control cells in living tissue, typically neurons, which have been genetically modified to respond to light. Only the cells that have been modified to include light-sensitive proteins will be under control of the light. The ability to selectively target cells gives researchers precise control. Using light to control the excitation, inhibition and signaling pathways of specific cells or groups of...
    photonics
    The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
    AmericaArch and MacBiophotonicsbrain injuryChR2chronic painepilepsyhalorhodopsinImaginglight-activated ion channellight-sensitive proteinMassachusettsMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMcGovern Institute for Brain Researchmulticolor silencersneuroscienceoptogeneticsParkinsons diseasephotonicsResearch & Technologysilencing neurons with different colors

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