A history of optogenetics: the development of tools for controlling brain circuits with light
Understanding how different kinds of neuron in the brain work together to implement sensations, feelings, thoughts, and movements, and how deficits in specific kinds of neuron result in brain diseases, has long been a priority in basic and clinical neuroscience. "Optogenetic" tools are gen...
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BioMed Central Ltd.,
2011-09-14T13:50:42Z.
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| Online Access: | Get fulltext |
| Summary: | Understanding how different kinds of neuron in the brain work together to implement sensations, feelings, thoughts, and movements, and how deficits in specific kinds of neuron result in brain diseases, has long been a priority in basic and clinical neuroscience. "Optogenetic" tools are genetically encoded molecules that, when targeted to specific neurons in the brain, enable their activity to be driven or silenced by light. These molecules are microbial opsins, seven-transmembrane proteins adapted from organisms found throughout the world, which react to light by transporting ions across the lipid membranes of cells in which they are genetically expressed. These tools are enabling the causal assessment of the roles that different sets of neurons play within neural circuits, and are accordingly being used to reveal how different sets of neurons contribute to the emergent computational and behavioral functions of the brain. These tools are also being explored as components of prototype neural control prosthetics capable of correcting neural circuit computations that have gone awry in brain disorders. This review gives an account of the birth of optogenetics and discusses the technology and its applications. National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (New Innovator Award (DP2OD002002)) National Science Foundation (U.S.) (EFRI 0835878) National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMS 0848804) National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMS 1042134) National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant 1R01DA029639) National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant 1RC1MH088182) National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant 1RC2DE020919) National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant 1R01NS067199) National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant 1R43NS070453) United States. Dept. of Defense (CDMRP PTSD Program) |
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