Optogenetic Control of the Peripheral Nervous System
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 29, 2026
In vivo Optogenetic Stimulation of the Rodent Central Nervous System
Published on: January 15, 2015
1Department of Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520.
Abstract:
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is highly complicated and heterogenous. Conventional neuromodulatory approaches have revealed numerous essential biological functions of the PNS and provided excellent tools to treat a large variety of human diseases. Yet growing evidence indicated the importance of cell-type-specific neuromodulation in the PNS in not only biological research using animal models but also potential human therapies. Optogenetics is a recently developed neuromodulatory approach combining optics and genetics that can effectively stimulate or silence neuronal activity with high spatial and temporal precision. Here, I review research regarding optogenetic manipulations for cell-type-specific control of the PNS, highlighting the advantages and challenges of current optogenetic tools, and discuss their potential future applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Peripheral Nervous System: Ganglia and Nerves
Nerves
The nerve is a bundle of axons that serves as the communication highway in the PNS. Each nerve is ensheathed in a protective layer of connective tissue called the epineurium. This outermost layer safeguards the nerve and supports the...
01:25What is a Nervous System?
01:14The Parasympathetic Nervous System
01:25The Sympathetic Nervous System
01:21Nervous System
01:13Organization of the Nervous System
The CNS, comprising the brain and spinal cord, houses billions of neurons. The brain is housed in the skull, while the spinal cord is linked to the brain through the foramen magnum of the occipital bone and is surrounded by the protective structure of the vertebral column. It is responsible for processing various...