Key Facts

• Scientists have long tried to understand what different brain cells do by studying their genes and damaged brains.
• Traditional methods of studying neurons involve deleting them, which can cause the brain to adapt and affect other cells.
• Optogenetics allows researchers to activate or deactivate nerve cells using light without damaging the brain.
• This technique is based on discoveries from single-celled algae called Chlamydomonas, which respond to light by opening ion channels.
• Ion channels let charged atoms pass through a nerve cell's membrane, generating nerve impulses.
• Previous methods to control nerve cells needed multiple genes, special chemicals, or high-powered lasers, which were less effective or damaging.
• Hegemann and Nagel identified and studied the genes responsible for light-sensitive ion channels in the algae.
• Deisseroth helped develop optogenetics so it could be used in complex animals, including mammals.