Manipulating nerve cells makes mice ‘see’ something that’s not there
For the first time, researchers have used optogenetics to create a specific visual perception
Aiming laser lights into mice’s brains can make them “see” lines that aren’t actually there. The results, described online July 18 in Science, represent the first time scientists have created a specific visual perception with laboratory trickery.
The work is “technically amazing,” says neuroscientist and psychiatrist Conor Liston at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. “I think every neuroscientist in this area will look at this with great interest.” The ability to monitor and control precise collections of nerve cells, or neurons, could help unravel big questions, including how certain groups of neurons create experiences.
The experiment used optogenetics, a technique in which laser light activates neurons in the brain (SN: 1/30/10, p. 18). The neurons are genetically tweaked to carry a protein that prompts them to send a signal in response to the light.