Karl is taking over!

Karl Deisseroth and co-workers have two papers online that develop and apply the channelrhodopsin technology for which he has become so famous. In Nature they develop two new light controlled genetic probes to upregulate adenylate cyclase or phospholapise C. The former gives more cAMP, the latter more IP3. They insert these probes into the Nucleus accumbens and use light to modulate neuronal firing rates. Finally, they used their probes to control the behaviour of mice.

In Science they show work using ChR2 to analyze circuits in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. This is a harder paper to follow (frankly), as it assumes knowledge of this area I do not have. I get the impression that their findings were a surprise. They make a bunch of new mice with ChR2 (or variants) in different areas of the brain, and none of these have any really effect on their model. Then, they turn (ironically?) to a Feng mouse (JAX stock number: 007615, strain: B6.Cg-Tg(Thy1-COP4/EYFP)9Gfng/J) and find that high frequency stimulation of cortical neurons helps locomotion behaviour in their mouse model.

Does Jay Leno know about this work yet?

Temporally precise in vivo control of intracellular signalling. Nature 10.1038/nature07926.

Optical deconstruction of Parkinsonian neural circuitry. Science 10.1126/science.1167093.