
Light-Sensitive Neurons Reveal the Brain's Secrets
By engineering brain cells to switch on or off in response to light, scientists are unlocking the mysteries of the mind and crafting new remedies for brain disorders
Edward S. Boyden is an associate professor of biological engineering and brain and cognitive sciences at the M.I.T. Media Lab and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at M.I.T. He recently shared the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Prize, the largest brain research prize in the world, for his work in optogenetics. He is interested in radically improving the human condition through new technologies for mapping and fixing the brain.

Light-Sensitive Neurons Reveal the Brain's Secrets
By engineering brain cells to switch on or off in response to light, scientists are unlocking the mysteries of the mind and crafting new remedies for brain disorders