Prompt Cast
The Future of Optogenetics: Manipulating Brain Cells to Control Function and Study Brain Pathways
TLDR Optogenetics is a cutting-edge technique that allows for the precise study of the brain by manipulating brain cells and controlling their function. While it has shown promising results in controlling the behavior of fruit flies, mice, fish, and worms, there are still ethical and legal implications that need to be addressed before it can be used in humans.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Optogenetics is a cutting-edge technique that manipulates brain cells to control their function and study brain pathways, but we are still far away from being able to use it in humans due to ethical and legal implications.
04:51
The brain is extremely complex, with specialized cells called neurons that communicate with each other through electrical impulses, and this understanding of the brain's electrical nature dates back to experiments with frog legs and later, human brains.
09:32
Optogenetics allows for more precise study of the brain compared to electrical stimulation, which can stimulate multiple neurons and is not as localized.
14:20
Optogenetics allows for the precise study of different parts of the brain by introducing a synthetic dye that becomes apparent when a certain calcium ion concentration is reached, indicating that a neuron has fired.
19:38
Optogenetics involves using genes that respond to light and proteins that emit light to manipulate and study different genes in neural cells.
24:08
Optogenetics involves combining genes from light-sensitive algae and fluorescent jellyfish to create a gene combination that can be inserted into other organisms, allowing researchers to control genes and make cells glow by shining light on them.
28:46
Researchers have successfully shown that they can control the behavior of fruit flies by shining light on them after genetically modifying their neurons with light-sensitive proteins.
33:24
Researchers have successfully experimented with using light-sensitive proteins to control the behavior of fruit flies, mice, fish, and worms, with the potential to treat conditions like depression by controlling the release of dopamine in the brain.
38:28
Researchers are working on using red-shifted rhodopsins that can be activated by infrared light to control neurons in the brain, potentially treating conditions like depression, but the precise timing and delivery of light therapy is crucial and it is still unclear how it would be implemented in humans.
42:56
The potential future implications of optogenetics and the ability to control our own happiness and pleasure through digital means are discussed, including the ethical questions surrounding whether or not we would still engage in activities that bring us happiness if we could simply press a button to achieve the same result.
47:09
The hosts wrap up the episode and address a listener's correction regarding the funding of the US postal service.
Categories:
Society & Culture
