The pond scum superpower
Engineering the neural light switch
The rainbow dashboard of the brain
Healing minds and restoring sight
YOUR GOAL
Master of Shining a light on the brain
007skaty Optogenetics
Flash the blue light to turn a neuron on, hit the yellow laser to shut it down.
007skaty The memory maker experiment analyzed how brain cells physically store memories.
007skaty Controlling specific neurons helps researchers map the brain regions responsible for deep-seated drives like appetite, aggression, and sleep
007skaty Yellow light beams push negative chloride ions through halorhodopsin channels in a neuron.
007skaty Tap the colored brain buttons to discover how scientists control brain cells with light.
Salt-marsh silencers: The protein used to turn neurons off with yellow light, halorhodopsin, comes from ancient microbes that live in ultra-salty desert lakes.
A biological technique that uses light to control the activity of genetically modified neurons. In 2005, Karl Deisseroth first successfully used blue light to activate mammalian neurons engineered with algal proteins.
What specific type of ion rushes into the cell when yellow light activates halorhodopsin?
In 2012, which Nobel laureate collaborated with Karl Deisseroth to switch fear memories on and off in mice?
Which light-sensitive protein is used as a 'brake' to turn neurons off when exposed to yellow light?
Which color of light is specifically used to activate channelrhodopsin-2 and turn neurons on?
In 2007, scientists used optogenetics to control which bodily state by targeting hypocretin-producing neurons?
From what kind of organisms did scientists harvest the yellow-light-sensitive halorhodopsin protein?
Beyond the brain, optogenetics has been used to study and regulate which natural 24-hour cycle in living organisms?