Remote control of fruit fly behavior.
Electrical stimulation of neurons in the central nervous system of awake, behaving animals offers the ultimate test to determine whether the activation of specific neurons is sufficient to elicit perception, motor activity, or other behaviors. In this issue of Cell, Lima and Miesenböck (Lima and Miesenböck, 2005) dump the stimulating electrode in favor of a new remote control system to excite specific neurons--light activation of transgenically supplied ion channels.
Davis
Ronald L
RL
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D007834:Lasers; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D058476:Receptors, Purinergic P2X2; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*
D007473:Ion Channels; C546403:P2rx2 protein, rat; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D058476:Receptors, Purinergic P2X2; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C493922:Trpv1 protein, rat