Three Scientists Win 2026 Nobel Prize for Optogenetics Research
Three scientists won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. It was awarded Monday.
They are Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel. Deisseroth is a US psychiatrist and neurologist.
Hegemann and Nagel are his German colleagues. They were honored for work on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.
Optogenetics uses tiny lights to turn on nerve cells in the brain. The work concerns how the brain switches nerve cells on and off.
Klear Note — Optogenetics uses light to control nerve cells, helping researchers study brain activity. Light-gated ion channels are proteins that respond to light inside cells.
Key Terms 4
- Optogenetics A method that uses light to control nerve cells in the brain.
- Neurologist A doctor who treats the brain and nerves.
- Psychiatrist A doctor who treats mental health problems.
- Light-gated ion channels Tiny openings in cells that are controlled by light.