20.06.2012Control of the brain via light: A revolution for therapy and research?

Prof. Dr. Stefan Herlitze, General Zoology and Neurobiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

In the last 5 years a new area of research has developed, called optogenetics. In 2010 the internationally renowned scientific journal,Nature Methods, crowned optogenetics the “Method of the Year”, which promises previously inconceivable insights into the functioning of the brain. Optogenetics enables scientists to control neuronal pathways via light with high temporal and spatial resolution. Light-activated proteins from algae, insects, mice, rats and humans are incorporated into specific groups of neurons to discover new functions of these neurons, but also to control processes which are damaged in diseases such as spinal cord injuries, blindness or Parkinson’s disease.
In this episode of the Brain Café, the principles and the development of optogenetic technologies will be explained, and the latest developments will be shown by one of the co-founders of this technology.