Researchers Develop Light Activation Treatment For Parkinson's
March 21, 2009
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A team of scientists in California have been exploring a technique whereby
brain cells are activated by flashes of light, and may have made a
breakthrough with regard to actual application of the technology. The team
has developed what is described as a hit-and-miss treatment for Parkinson's
Disease while at the same time demonstrating how the light-based technique
could be used to manipulate virtually any cell.
The process is called optogenetics, and it works by making use of
light-sensitive proteins known as channel rhodopsins. These proteins are
normally produced by algae in nature.
The team, led by Karl Deisseroth, a psychiatrist at Stanford University,
discovered that inserting channel rhodopsins into neurons allowed them to be
activated by blue light. An engineered protein known as halo-rhodopsin can
then be used to silence neurons by being exposed to yellow light. In the
process of their research, the team also discovered a group of cells that
may be responsible for the positive results of the fledgling treatment. By
targeting these neurons specifically, scientists may soon have a much more
effective and much less invasive method of treating Parkinson's.
Of the new optogenetics research, Marla Feller, a neuroscientist at the
University of California at Berkeley, says "I think it's going to have a big
impact outside of neuroscience."
Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
rbrown@xxxxxxxxx
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