Viviana Gradinaru: Brain Control with Light

This is an exciting time for engineering neuronal circuits to reverse pathological behaviors like depression, addiction and Parkinson's disease, and enhance mental performance. With the convergence of accumulating knowledge about brain circuits and technological advances in imaging and electrophysiology instrumentation, previously unimagined experiments are possible. Until recently, no available technology could cope with the tremendous variety of cell types in brain tissue. Now, optogenetics - a technology based on light-responsive proteins - can be used to probe brain circuitry, offering insight into both healthy and diseased brains. The lecture will describe the development of optogenetics and its applications and challenges.

Viviana Gradinaru is an assistant professor of biology at Caltech.

Learn More: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~vglab/

This lecture is the Richard C. Biedebach Memorial Lecture.

Presented By: Caltech Committee on Institute Programs