Photopharmacology: Optoswitches turn pain off and sight on
Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 09:02
in Biology & Nature
Photoreactive compounds developed by scientists directly modulate nerve-cell function, and open new routes to the treatment of neurological diseases, including chronic pain and certain types of visual impairment. All modes of sensory perception are based on communication between nerve cells. Both the response to the primary stimulus and the transmission of the resulting signal depend on the function of specialized receptor proteins that are associated with the surface membranes of neurons. Many sensory neurons respond only to a single sensory modality, such as mechanical stimulation or temperature. However, researchers have developed a method which, in principle, enables all types of neuroreceptors to be controlled by light.