Neuroscientists at MIT have figured out how to use colored lights to temporarily quiet activity in the brain. By shining a light on a set of neurons affected by a gene-enhanced virus tool, they were able to shut those neurons down. When they turned off the lights, the neurons started right back up again. No harm, no foul. This is really good news for sufferers of chronic pain, epilepsy, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease or other ailments that involve abnormal brain activity.
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Colored Lights May Switch Off Damaging Brain Activity
Posted by: Pam Baker January 7, 2010 09:29 AMNeuroscientists at MIT have figured out how to use colored lights to temporarily quiet activity in the brain. By shining a light on a set of neurons affected by a gene-enhanced virus tool, they were able to shut those neurons down. When they turned off the lights, the neurons started right back up again. No harm, no foul. This is really good news for sufferers of chronic pain, epilepsy, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease or other ailments that involve abnormal brain activity.