Glossary
optogenetics
A research technique that genetically modifies specific neurons so that they switch on or off in response to light. It lets scientists control chosen brain cells precisely, and is used widely in animal research.
Ordinarily it needs an optical fibre implanted in the brain, because visible light does not pass through the skull.
Documented real-world example: in 2018, a team led by RIKEN in Japan used upconversion nanoparticles, which turn near-infrared light that can pass through tissue into visible light, to trigger neurons deep in the brains of mice from outside the head, without an implanted fibre. The mice were genetically modified and the nanoparticles were injected into the brain.
Related terms: nanoparticle, neural interface, non-ionizing radiation