Nobel prize awarded for optogenetics brain research

The American psychiatrist and neurologist Karl Deisseroth and his German colleagues Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel have been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in the field of optogenetics. Their research has helped scientists learn more about the inner workings of the brain and to better understand how the human mind works. The Nobel Committee praised the trio for laying the foundation of a new era in neuroscience by revealing how to switch on and off neural circuits behind specific memories, feelings and behaviours relevant to neurological and psychiatric disorders. In clinical medicine, researchers are using the method to try to restore sight in people with visual impairment.

Optogenetics has fundamentally altered our understanding of the brain, the Nobel Assembly said. Every day brings new discoveries, helping to solve one of humanity's great mysteries: how our incredible brain works. The winners said it was absolutely wonderful to receive the award, and that it was an honour to share the accolade with friends. The three men will also share the £900,000 prize money.

Per Svenningsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, explained that optogenetics provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that scientists could once only dream of. Before, the inner workings behind feelings, behaviours and bodily functions were more of a mystery. Optogenetics is a way to illuminate brain pathways, using a special protein borrowed from algae that scientists use to control the electrical activity of cells with light.

In the early 2000s, Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin, the algal protein with unique properties. Deisseroth worked out how to use this light-controlled protein to switch on nerve cells in the brains of mice. Researchers have since been able to study nerve cells and pathways in animals to see and discover more about what they do.

Using light, researchers are now able to switch individual neural circuits on or off in the brain, the Nobel Committee said. They can bring memories to life, create feelings, drive behaviours and study the types of neurons involved in various psychiatric and neurological disorders. That is providing important insights into how the nervous system interacts with cells in other areas of the body, such as the heart and gut, the committee added.

Researchers have also taken the first steps towards using optogenetics as a medical treatment. In ongoing clinical trials, scientists have been working to restore vision in people who have become blind because of retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that destroys the eye's rods and cones. By inserting a special protein into the damaged region of the eye, the patient regained some vision when wearing special glasses that emit light. This switched on the therapeutic algae proteins.