Shedding Light on the Brain

Jenni Lacey explains how optogenetics has opened up our understanding of the brain

The Biologist Vol 61(2) p36-39

Scientists, philosophers and psychiatrists have tried for centuries to unravel the complexities of human thought and behaviour. The mammalian brain is an intricate maze of neuronal connections and biochemical signalling, with billions of neurons conveying complex messages in millisecond-long patterns of connectivity. The brain is our hub for communication, emotion and behaviour, and when the delicate balance of activity within it is disrupted, it can result in an equally complex array of psychiatric or behavioural disorders...

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