Nobel medicine prize goes to 3 scientists for research into brain activity
Summary
The Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for research on how the brain switches nerve cells on and off. Their work on optogenetics and light-gated ion channels is now used in laboratories worldwide to study brain circuits, behavior and disease.
Key Points
- Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the Nobel Prize in medicine for research into brain activity and optogenetics.
- Their work uncovered light-gated ion channels that can switch nerve cells on and off using blue light.
- The Nobel Assembly said the method is now used in laboratories around the world to study the brain's mysteries.
- The prize was announced at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and comes with 12 million Swedish kronor.
