Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Neurosurg Focus. 2013 Jun;34(6):E4. doi: 10.3171/2013.3.FOCUS1364.
Optogenetics, the use of light to stimulate or inhibit neural circuits via viral transduction of protein channels, has emerged as a possible method of treating epilepsy. By introducing viral vectors carrying algal-derived cation or anion channels, known as opsins, neurons that initiate or propagate seizures may be silenced. To date, studies using this technique have been performed in animal models, and current efforts are moving toward more sophisticated nonhuman primate models. In this paper, the authors present a brief overview of the development of optogenetics and review recent studies investigating optogenetic modification of circuits involved in seizures. Further developments in the field are explored, with an emphasis on how optogenetics may influence future neurosurgical interventions.
光遗传学是一种通过病毒转导蛋白通道来刺激或抑制神经回路的方法，它已成为治疗癫痫的一种可能方法。通过引入携带藻类衍生的阳离子或阴离子通道的病毒载体，即光蛋白，可使引发或传播癫痫发作的神经元沉默。迄今为止，这项技术已在动物模型中进行了研究，目前的努力正在向更复杂的非人类灵长类动物模型转移。本文作者简要概述了光遗传学的发展，并回顾了最近关于光遗传学修饰癫痫相关回路的研究。探讨了该领域的进一步发展，并重点介绍了光遗传学如何影响未来的神经外科干预。
