{"id":239,"date":"2026-06-08T02:29:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T06:29:14","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-08T02:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T06:29:14","slug":"optogenetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/?p=239","title":{"rendered":"Optogenetics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Optogenetics<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Until recently neuroscientists have been unable to see how the brain works in precise detail. Basic genetic researchers have brought in the solution in the form of micro-organisms that rely on light-responsive "opsin" proteins to survive.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of electrodes or liquids, researchers can insert the opsin proteins into specific braincells of freely moving animals by means of a virus. <\/span><\/span>Once there, these proteins insert genetic material that will cause the neuron to manufacture the light-sensitive protein itself thereafter. <\/span><\/span>Then researchers order specific neurons to fire by using flashes of light. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This method is called Optogenetics<\/span> (Optics + genetics). It may one day join the freely available, brain-protecting metal, lithium<\/span> as the method of choice for treating people with a mental imbalance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This brain modulation technology could very specifically interact with our billions of neurons that have an infinite number of distinct characteristics and wiring patterns. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These neurons exchange precisely tuned millisecond scale electric signals or one of their many different biochemical messengers with each other. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers at MIT’s Neural Circuit Genetics noticed that memories in dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are NOT lost. They were retrieved in mice, using blue light<\/span><\/a> stimulating nerve cells to grow new connections.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

All aspects of our personas, capabilities, memories, and emotions arise from electrical and biochemical events within particular circuits of neurons in particular temporal settings.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Because the computational capabilities of our cortical circuits are infinitely complex, neuroscientists will always lack a complete grasp of the totality of the brain’s activities. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Should the altering of neural pathways then be done through technological means or by ourselves, if possible?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What if, we can weaken or strengthen those connections by focusing the energy of our attention<\/span><\/a> on the physical sensation that is associated with each of them?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Optogenetics Until recently neuroscientists have been unable to see how the brain works in precise detail. Basic genetic researchers have brought in the solution in the form of micro-organisms that rely on light-responsive "opsin" proteins to survive. Instead of electrodes or liquids, researchers can insert the opsin proteins into specific braincells of freely moving animals…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1279,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c2creset.ondigit.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}