High-performance microbial opsins for spatially and temporally precise perturbations of large neuronal networks

Summary The biophysical limitations of existing optogenetic tools restrict the scale, speed, and precision of neural control. Using structure-guided mutagenesis, we have engineered high-potency opsins that retain fast kinetics, enabling large-scale, spatiotemporally precise control of neuronal populations. These novel opsins have been extensively benchmarked against existing optogenetic tools and characterized under two-photon illumination, providing a […]