Stimulating brain cells with light
Friday, October 26, 2012 - 08:30
in Biology & Nature
Introducing a light-sensitive protein in transgenic nerve cells ... transplanting nerve cells into the brains of laboratory animals ... inserting an optic fibre in the brain and using it to light up the nerve cells and stimulate them into releasing more dopamine to combat Parkinson's disease. These things may sound like science fiction, but they are soon to become a reality in a research laboratory in Sweden.