The And Of The Structure Of Dna - 3909 Words

Abstract In 1979 Nobel prize laureate and the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA called for a precise method to gain control over specific classes of neurones â€Å"leaving the others more of less unaltered† which will allow us to understand more about the â€Å"profoundly mysterious brain.† This was the first articulated idea of optogenetics, which would lead to the development of one of the most exciting areas of neuroscience. In 2005 Karl Desseroth and Ed Boyden publishes a paper detailing a single optogenetic system a revolutionary paper, using channel rhodopsin Optogenetics, as shown by the name, is a mixture of optics and neuroscience, which combines the precision of light with specific of genetic targeting. It allows genetic control of†¦show more content†¦In the following years scientists were able to target specific cells such as temperature and chemicals (alexander et all 2009), however the precision of light is unmatched. In addition light gives millisecon d precision which is very important in optogenetics because of the fast pace of processes in the brain such as synaptic currents and to allow the addation or deletion of precise activity patterns The underlying theory of optogenetics is introducing a light sensitive protein to a specific cell type, then activating the cell with light and observing any changes in function or cellular behavior. The underling theory of optogenetics is introducing a light sensitive protein to a specific cell type, then using light then activate the cell and then observing cellular behavior. Opsins It was discovered that a protein that caused algae/9chalmidiponis to swim to light is a light sensitive channel (method of the year 2010), blue light causes positive ions enter the cell In 1971 Oeseterhelt and stoeckenius identified bacteriorhodoposin hich is an opsin, a light activated ion pump. Further research in this area lead to the identification of more members of the opsin family.Bacteriorhodopsin was the first identified opsin. An opsin actually refers to the gene and the protein product which have been recently adapted to control cellular