MIT Researchers Turn Neurons Off Using Light

Neuroengineers at MIT have figured out how to turn neurons off by expressing a gene found in a bacterium in neurons that causes them to be silenced when a yellow light is shined on them. They describe several uses for the new technique, including providing non-invasive treatments for people with neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and epilepsy. The new technique may also prove invaluable for studying the healthy brain (selectively inhibiting certain neurons and seeing what the effects of the inhibition are on an entire network, for example).

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