• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.953-959
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• 2015

Optogenetics is the combination of optical and molecular strategies to control designated molecular and cellular activities in living tissues and cells using genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins. It involves the use of light to rapidly gate the membrane channels that allows for ion movement. Optogenetics began with the placing of light-sensitive proteins from green algae inside specific types of brain cells. The cells can then be turned on or off with pulses of blue and yellow light. Using the naturally occurring algal protein Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a rapidly gated light-sensitive cation channel, the number and frequency of action potentials can be controlled. The ChR2 provides a way to manipulate a single type of neuron while affecting no others, an unprecedented specificity. This technology allows the use of light to alter neural processing at the level of single spikes and synaptic events, yielding a widely applicable tool for neuroscientists and biomedical engineers. An improbable combination of green algae, lasers, gene therapy and fiber optics made it possible to map neural circuits deep inside the brain with a precision that has never been possible before. This will help identify the causes of disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, sleep disorder, and autism. Optogenetics could improve upon existing implanted devices that are used to treat Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other ailments with pulses of electricity. An optogenetics device could hit more specific subsets of brain cells than those devices can. Applications of optogenetic tools in nonneuronal cells are on the rise.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2013.05a
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• pp.1509-1510
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• 2013

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.121-132
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• 2023

Objective : The parafascicular nucleus (PF) plays important roles in controlling the basal ganglia. It is not well known whether the PF affects the development of abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs). This study was aimed to find a role of the PF in development of AIMs using optogenetic methods in an animal model. Methods : Fourteen rats were underwent stereotactic operation, in which they were injected with an adeno-associated virus with channelrhodopsin (AAV2-hSyn-ChR2-mCherry) to the lateral one third of the PF. Behavior test was performed with and without optical stimulation 14 days after the injection of the virus. AIM of rat was examined using AIM score. After the behavior test, rat's brain was carefully extracted and the section was examined using a fluorescence microscope to confirm transfection of the PF. Results : Of the 14 rats, seven rats displayed evident involuntary abnormal movements. AIM scores were increased significantly after the stimulation compared to those at baseline. In rats with AIMs, mCherry expression was prominent in the PF, while the rats without AIM lacked with the mCherry expression. Conclusion : AIMs could be reversibly induced by stimulating the PF through an optogenetic method.