Posted on 1/8/2019
Today’s neurostimulators, such as those used to control chronic pain, bladder incontinence, and depression, use electricity to activate nerves.
While very effective in many patients, electrical stimulation can lead to inflammation, produce unwanted sensations and pain, and injure fragile tissues. Optogenetics is an approach that offers an alternative, potentially safer option, that relies on light and light sensitive proteins to activate individual neural cells.
To help make it a practical reality, researche...