中国光学工程学会

冯国平院士
美国艺术与科学学院
Dr. Guoping Feng is the Poitras Chair Professor and Associate Director of McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the Director of Model Systems and Neurobiology at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Feng studied medicine at Zhejiang University School of Medicine. He obtained his PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Feng’s research is devoted to understanding the mechanisms regulating neuron-neuron communications in the brain and how dysfunction in neuronal communications contribute to brain disorders. In addition, Dr. Feng’s laboratory has developed numerous genetic tools and animal models that are widely used in neuroscience research. Dr. Feng has won numerous awards for his scientific achievements including Beckman Young Investigator Award, Gill Young Investigator Award, McKnight Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Award, McKnight Technology Innovation Award, and Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2018.
报告题目
Minimally invasive technologies for precise control of neural circuit function and behavior
报告摘要

Technologies to modulate neural circuit function is not only critical for understanding how the brain generates behaviors but also important for treating brain disorders. Recently, several new technologies, such as electric field-based temporal interference and nanomagnetic particle-based neuromodulation for minimally invasive neuromodulation. However, these technologies lack cell-type-specificity, critically important for dissecting neural circuit function and dysfunction. To fill this gap, we engineered a new super-sensitive optogenetic tool for precise neural modulation with minimal invasiveness. Optogenetics is among the most widely employed techniques to manipulate neuronal activity. However, a major drawback is the need for invasive implantation of optical fibers into the brain. To develop a minimally invasive optogenetic method that overcomes this challenge, we engineered a new step-function opsin with ultra-high light sensitivity (SOUL). We show that SOUL can activate neurons located in deep mouse brain regions via transcranial optical stimulation and elicit behavioral changes in SOUL knock-in mice. Moreover, SOUL can be used to modulate neuronal spiking and induce oscillations reversibly in macaque cortex via optical stimulation from outside the dura. By enabling external light delivery, our new opsin offers a minimally invasive tool for manipulating neuronal activity in rodent and primate models with fewer limitations on the depth and size of target brain regions and may further facilitate the development of minimally invasive optogenetic tools for the treatment of brain disorders.