Thursday, April 07, 2005
Headless Flies Take "Mindful Flight"
Scientists at Yale University have learned to remotely control fruit flies with laser pulses by genetically rigging their brains. They even made headless flies fly!
The researchers said that the laser made the flies jump, beat their wings and fly in an escape response. They also used laser light to activate the flies' dopamine neurons that stimulated walking and affected the types of paths the flies chose to follow.
"The ability to control brain functions non-invasively opens many new possibilities for the analysis of neural circuits, the search for the cellular substrates of behavior, and, possibly even restoring function after injury or disease,"
said Gero Miesenbock, associate professor of cell biology at Yale. "This is a significant step toward moving neuroscience to active and predictive manipulation of behavior."
Mind control? Not really. The researchers showed "that even headless flies take mindful flight if the correct set of neurons is photo-activated." Sighs one New York City boss: "If only laser like that worked on people, I'd have an easier job managing!"
The researchers said that the laser made the flies jump, beat their wings and fly in an escape response. They also used laser light to activate the flies' dopamine neurons that stimulated walking and affected the types of paths the flies chose to follow.
"The ability to control brain functions non-invasively opens many new possibilities for the analysis of neural circuits, the search for the cellular substrates of behavior, and, possibly even restoring function after injury or disease,"
said Gero Miesenbock, associate professor of cell biology at Yale. "This is a significant step toward moving neuroscience to active and predictive manipulation of behavior."
Mind control? Not really. The researchers showed "that even headless flies take mindful flight if the correct set of neurons is photo-activated." Sighs one New York City boss: "If only laser like that worked on people, I'd have an easier job managing!"
