How could we benefit from better brain maps?
‘With deep brain stimulation (DBS), you’re just poking around in the dark. Stimulating brain cells with light probes rather than electrical DBS probes would be a marked improvement. We can identify targets for more effective treatments, with fewer side effects, by using these new light-based tools to study specific elements in brain circuits.
‘However, we have to do a lot more research to see how well the brain tolerates being genetically engineered with light-reactive proteins. It’s frightening to put something in your brain when you don’t yet know what the long-term effects are.’… Original Article »