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Optogenetics stories

Oct 5, 2026

Nobel Prize in medicine awarded for optogenetics brain research

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control nerve signals in the brain.

Oct 5, 2026·4 sources
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Top claims

  • ▪Optogenetics is a more promising path for treating brain disorders than traditional pharmaceuticals
  • ▪Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel were awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on October 5, 2026, for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics
  • ▪Karl Deisseroth used optogenetics in animal models to control mouse whisker movements by activating motor cortex nerve cells and to wake sleeping mice by stimulating wakefulness-controlling neurons

People involved

Karl Deisseroth

Subtopics

Brain health & dementia researchers1Medical innovation1

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