Noninvasive Brain Control

Optogenetics, a technology that allows scientists to control brain activity by shining light on neurons, relies on light-sensitive proteins that can suppress or stimulate electrical signals within cells. Until now, this technique required a light source to be implanted in the brain, where it can reach the cells to be controlled. Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have now developed the first light-sensitive molecule that enables neurons to be silenced noninvasively, using a light source outside the skull. The protein, known as Jaws and discussed in a recent issue of Nature Neuroscience, allows a larger volume of tissue to be influenced at once. This noninvasive approach could pave the way to using optogenetics in human patients to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders, the researchers say. To learn more about this study, click here.