News Neuroscience

Paralyzed mouse legs move with burst of light

Neural patch turns on muscles when blue light shines

POWER OF LIGHT  After implanting light-responsive motor neurons (green) into a mouse’s paralyzed thigh, researchers could activate leg muscles with a flash of blue light. 

Barney Bryson

By Laura Sanders

- More than 2 years ago

Scientists can now control muscles with light. By combining advances from several fields, researchers created neurons that could be activated with light and implanted the cells onto damaged nerves in mice.