Optogenetics
- The next level of
science
Brains, even those belonging to
tiny organisms like mice, are
intimidating in their complexity.
They are made of innumerable
cells known as neurons.
The brain communicates with the
help of electrical and chemical
impulses. There are thousands of
types of neurons, each with a
unique shape and pattern of
connectivity. If we could discover
the role of each type of cell, we
can understand the way they
work to create thoughts, ideas
and feelings. Neuroscientists and
Psychologists can study brain
activities and how they respond
to stimuli. Still, they were
struggling to identify how brains
do what they do. Scientists
attempted to use electrodes to
record neuronal activities, but it
was imprecise as it stimulated
every adjacent neuron and did
not record the functioning of
neurons individually.
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