•  
  •  
 

Authors

Jennifer Haltli

Keywords

Excellent, Young Adult, Optogenetics, Brain, Genetic Engineering, Alzheimer's

Document Type

Book Review

Abstract

It all started with some glowing squid. Once their florescent proteins were transferred to mice, the mice would glow when exposed to certain light frequencies. From these discoveries, scientists began to wonder if they could they use flashes of light to switch on groups of toxin-clearing neurons in Alzheimer’s patients. They also thought they could target specific neurons in Parkinson’s patients to stop the signals that produce tremors. Solving these major medical crises would be miraculous, but while science has made mighty strides forward in animal experimentation over the past forty years, implementing these discoveries into human brains is complicated and, for the time being, risky.

Download

Share

COinS