The complexity of brain connectivity poses a formidable challenge for science. With the development and application of optogenetic and chemogenetic tools for neuroscience in the early 2000s, the understanding and unraveling of this daunting complexity at fine temporal and spatial scales became a reality. It led neuroscientists to glow about the possibilities to study movement, motivation, reinforcement, emotion, and abnormal reward seeking processes such as addiction and obesity at this scale. In our first volume, we received studies from the abovementioned areas and comprehensive discussions on next generation tools. Over the years, these tools continue to provide researchers unprecedented experimental control over neural activity, catalyzing discoveries and new therapeutic approaches.
This research topic revisits the original
“Neural circuits underlying emotion and motivation: Insights from optogenetics and pharmacogenetics” and will highlight advances made since the collection of the first articles. As such, it broadly covers studies using state-of-the-art genetic, electrophysiological, optical, and imaging approaches to map often cell-type selective functional connectivity across various neuronal systems and their contributions to behavioral processes. Over the years, optogenetic and chemogenetic applications in translational neuroscience on primates (e.g., treating sensorimotor hearing loss, rebuilding vision sensitivity in the residual retinal tissue after photoreceptor degeneration, and Parkinson’s disease) continue to grow. Also, application of these tools has led to brain–machine interface therapeutics, with cell selectivity and long-range efferent optical control.
Therefore, we also welcome articles on 1) new insights employing these tools in translational and clinical neuroscience, 2) discussion on underlying challenges emphasizing the difficulties in translating this technology toward clinical applications and potential solutions in primates and human studies.
The complexity of brain connectivity poses a formidable challenge for science. With the development and application of optogenetic and chemogenetic tools for neuroscience in the early 2000s, the understanding and unraveling of this daunting complexity at fine temporal and spatial scales became a reality. It led neuroscientists to glow about the possibilities to study movement, motivation, reinforcement, emotion, and abnormal reward seeking processes such as addiction and obesity at this scale. In our first volume, we received studies from the abovementioned areas and comprehensive discussions on next generation tools. Over the years, these tools continue to provide researchers unprecedented experimental control over neural activity, catalyzing discoveries and new therapeutic approaches.
This research topic revisits the original
“Neural circuits underlying emotion and motivation: Insights from optogenetics and pharmacogenetics” and will highlight advances made since the collection of the first articles. As such, it broadly covers studies using state-of-the-art genetic, electrophysiological, optical, and imaging approaches to map often cell-type selective functional connectivity across various neuronal systems and their contributions to behavioral processes. Over the years, optogenetic and chemogenetic applications in translational neuroscience on primates (e.g., treating sensorimotor hearing loss, rebuilding vision sensitivity in the residual retinal tissue after photoreceptor degeneration, and Parkinson’s disease) continue to grow. Also, application of these tools has led to brain–machine interface therapeutics, with cell selectivity and long-range efferent optical control.
Therefore, we also welcome articles on 1) new insights employing these tools in translational and clinical neuroscience, 2) discussion on underlying challenges emphasizing the difficulties in translating this technology toward clinical applications and potential solutions in primates and human studies.