Having received the 8th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine, neuroscientist Gero Miesenböck explains in this interview how optogenetics—the technique that allows neurons to be controlled with light—has revolutionized the study of the brain and behavior. Miesenböck details how his discoveries made it possible to activate or deactivate neural circuits with unprecedented precision, enabling research into the foundations of perception, decision-making, and various cognitive functions. He also reflects on the future clinical applications of optogenetics and how this discipline is transforming biomedical research by offering new avenues for understanding neurological disorders and developing innovative therapies.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine goes in this eighth edition to neuroscientists Edward Boyden, Karl Deisseroth and Gero Mies
Having received the 8th Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine, neuroscientist Gero Miesenböck explains in this interview how optogenetics—the technique that allows neurons to be controlled with light—has revolutionized the study of the brain and behavior. Miesenböck details how his discoveries made it possible to activate or deactivate neural circuits with unprecedented precision, enabling research into the foundations of perception, decision-making, and various cognitive functions. He also reflects on the future clinical applications of optogenetics and how this discipline is transforming biomedical research by offering new avenues for understanding neurological disorders and developing innovative therapies.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine goes in this eighth edition to neuroscientists Edward Boyden, Karl Deisseroth and Gero Miesenböck for the development of optogenetics, a method to study brain function with unprecedented resolution.
00:00 Introduction
00:05 Could you explain in simple terms what optogenetics is?
00:54 How did you begin working in this area of research, and with what goals?
02:16 Among the possibilities offered by your technique, which aspects do you find most interesting?
03:09 What lines of research are you currently working on?
