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CASTECH INC - New Building the Bridge of Light

Shutting down brain cells with light to study and treat disease

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Hank Hogan, [email protected]

By taking a lesson – and some genes – from nature, researchers at MIT have selectively shut down specific brain cells using different colors of light. One application of this new capability could be a better understanding of the abnormal brain activity linked to chronic pain, epilepsy, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and other disorders. Another use could be clinical, said research team leader Edward S. Boyden. “These ultraprecise neuromodulation strategies might be useful for treating serious disorders very precisely. Last year, we published the first such preclinical study in the...Read full article

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    Published: March 2010
    Glossary
    light
    Electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 750 nm. In photonic applications light can be considered to cover the nonvisible portion of the spectrum which includes the ultraviolet and the infrared.
    microscope
    An instrument consisting essentially of a tube 160 mm long, with an objective lens at the distant end and an eyepiece at the near end. The objective forms a real aerial image of the object in the focal plane of the eyepiece where it is observed by the eye. The overall magnifying power is equal to the linear magnification of the objective multiplied by the magnifying power of the eyepiece. The eyepiece can be replaced by a film to photograph the primary image, or a positive or negative relay...
    Archarchaerhodopsin-3BiophotonicsBioScanbrain activitybrain cellsbrain injuryChR2chronic paincortex neuronsEd BoydenepilepsygenesHalorubrum sodomenseHank HoganlightLight SourcesMACMassachusettsMassachusetts Institute of TechnologymicroscopeMicroscopyMITNatureneuromodulationneuronneuronsneuroscienceNewsOpticsParkinson’s diseasesilencerTest & Measurementxenon lampsLEDs

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