A major goal of neuroscience has been to understand the systems-level neural processes
governing higher-order functions, such as perception, cognition and emotion. Until recently …

Achieving circuit-level insight into the fundamental nature of psychiatric symptoms has long
proven elusive. Technological limitations have traditionally prevented cell type-targeted and …

Highlights•Optogenetic dissection of disease-relevant neural circuits is accelerating the
pace of preclinical research into the etiology and treatment of mental illness.•Optogenetics …

There have been significant advances in the treatment of psychiatric disease in the last half
century, but it is still unclear which neural circuits are ultimately responsible for specific …

Optogenetic tools have revolutionized the field of neuroscience, and brought the study of
neural circuits to a higher level. Optogenetics has significantly improved our understanding …

It has been said that scientific progress depends more on new technologies than new
concepts. In truth, it is often new technologies that generate new concepts. For systems …

The mammalian brain poses a formidable challenge to the study and treatment of
neuropsychiatric diseases, owing to the complex interaction of genetic, epigenetic, and …

Cognitive and social deficits lie at the core of many neuropsychiatric diseases and are
among the many behavioral symptoms not amenable to pharmacological intervention …

Genetic, pharmacologic, and behavioral manipulations have long been powerful tools for
generating rodent models to study the neural substrates underlying psychiatric disease …

Optogenetics is the optical control of neuronal excitability by genetically delivered light-
activated channels and pumps and represents a promising tool to fuel the study of circuit …