Genetically Engineered Neurons Light Up When Firing In a scientific first that could help us better understand how signals travel in the brain, a researcher of natural sciences at Harvard has created neurons that light up as they fire. Despite the fact that almost every science animation ever created has shown neurons to light up, in reality there is no obvious visual cue to indicate their electrical activity. The genetically altered neurons use a gene from a Dead Sea microorganism that produces a protein that fluoresces when exposed to the electrical signal in a neuron, allowing researchers to visually trace how signals are transmitted through cells. The research was led by Adam Cohen, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences, and was published in Nature Methods. In a Harvard Gazette story, Cohen said of the research: “It’s very exciting. In terms of basic biology, there are a number of things we can now do which we’ve never been able to do. We can see how these signals spread through the neuronal network. We can study the speed at which the signal spreads, and if it changes as the cells undergo changes. We may someday even be able to study how these signals move in living animals.”

Genetically Engineered Neurons Light Up When Firing

In a scientific first that could help us better understand how signals travel in the brain, a researcher of natural sciences at Harvard has created neurons that light up as they fire.

Despite the fact that almost every science animation ever created has shown neurons to light up, in reality there is no obvious visual cue to indicate their electrical activity. The genetically altered neurons use a gene from a Dead Sea microorganism that produces a protein that fluoresces when exposed to the electrical signal in a neuron, allowing researchers to visually trace how signals are transmitted through cells.

The research was led by Adam Cohen, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences, and was published in Nature Methods.

In a Harvard Gazette story, Cohen said of the research: “It’s very exciting. In terms of basic biology, there are a number of things we can now do which we’ve never been able to do. We can see how these signals spread through the neuronal network. We can study the speed at which the signal spreads, and if it changes as the cells undergo changes. We may someday even be able to study how these signals move in living animals.”