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The 2026 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine honored neuroscientists Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel for developing optogenetics. This technique allows researchers to control neuron activity using light. In an interview on The Conversation Weekly podcast, Deisseroth explained that early brain treatments were limited because scientists lacked a solid understanding of the specific cells involved in neuropsychiatric conditions. He noted that while basic neuroscience and clinical medicine both struggle with the brain’s complexity, they needed a way to target specific cell types without affecting others.

Deisseroth began his research by testing genes from mammals against a gene from single-celled algae called channelrhodopsin-2. Although he considered the algae gene unlikely to work in mammalian neurons, it successfully activated rodent cells when exposed to light. In 2007, his team demonstrated that this method could control living mice; shining a laser on specific brain regions caused the animals to move in circles, and turning off the light stopped the behavior immediately. This breakthrough showed that scientists could switch particular neurons on and off with high precision.

Researchers are now applying these findings to treat various conditions, including hunger, thirst, anxiety, and memory issues. In 2021, colleagues published results showing they restored light sensitivity to retinas in people who were blind from retinitis pigmentosa through a process called direct optogenetics. For psychiatric disorders like autism and schizophrenia, Deisseroth supports indirect optogenetics. This approach uses knowledge gained from studying specific cells to design new medications that target those same cells, aiming to create treatments that are easier and more broadly impactful than current options.