Lighting Up the Brain: The Science of Optogenetics

by Marc Zimmer

Overview

What if neuroscientists could look inside the human brain and watch individual brain cells send signals to one another? What if they could then control these brain cells to direct thoughts and actions?

This may sound like science fiction, but it's actually a scientific revolution called optogenetics. Neuroscientists would like to use this new technology on human brains to uncover secrets about how the brain processes information and drives human behavior. Doctors hope to use optogenetics to restore sight and to treat Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression, and other debilitating or deadly health problems. Discover how the innovative work of leaders in the field is poised to radically transform science, medicine, and human health.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541521964
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Marc Zimmer is the author of several nonfiction young adult books and a professor at Connecticut College, where he teaches chemistry and studies the proteins involved in producing light in jellyfish and fireflies. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and did his post-doc at Yale University. He has published articles on science and medicine for the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and the Huffington Post, among many other publications. He lives in Waterford, Connecticut with his wife, their two children, and a genetically modified fluorescent mouse named Prometheus.

Editorial Reviews

"[A] helpful resource . . . user-friendly to a general audience."—VOYA

From the Publisher

2017-09-26
It may soon be possible for neuroscientists to look inside the human brain and see exactly what it is doing thanks to pioneering technology called optogenetics. Neuroscientists are already using optogenetics in mice and other laboratory animals, activating neurons inside their brains. In a two-step process, animals are genetically modified in such a way that certain neurons produce light-sensitive proteins. Researchers can direct flashes of light onto these neurons, triggering them to send signals to other neurons. Using optogenetics on human brains would allow neuroscientists to map the brain's complicated neural circuitry for the first time in history. It could conceivably enable scientists to control neurons to direct thoughts and actions. Optogenetics also has the potential to be used to treat conditions such as blindness and neural disorders like Parkinson's, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. Zimmer's accessibly written text offers a good deal of background information to put the subject in context. He includes a discussion of the ethics of using animals as test subjects. Well-organized and appealingly designed, the text is complemented with numerous color charts, diagrams, and photographs. An intriguing and informative introduction to the field of neuroscience and the frontiers of modern brain research. (photos, source notes, glossary, bibliography, further information) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews