LASER STIMULATION OF THE BRAIN

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 由于眼睛或视神经的损伤而导致的全盲是一种使人衰弱的病症，其影响全世界的许多人，并且尚未治愈。在美国，失明的患病率约为110万，在全世界范围内，其影响约4500万人。 视网膜中的电脉冲（包含视觉信息的比特）从感光细胞通过视神经传送到大脑，在大脑中组装图像。 疾病或创伤严重破坏这一通路的任何部分都会导致失明。虽然视觉皮层的病理现象是导致失明的原因，但这只占总病例的一小部分。大多数病例是皮层下和外周的，包括眼睛、视神经、神经束和相关结构。例如，白内障、沙眼和青光眼占全球失明人数的70%以上.大多数盲人的视觉皮层都没有受损，而且功能正常。可以假设，如果视觉皮层功能正常，那么直接刺激皮层以引起视觉感觉是可能的。本研究的目的是评估使用非侵入性方法通过直接皮层刺激引起视觉皮层电生理反应的能力。目前的方法采用侵入式机械电极，其临床应用的潜力有限。激光刺激神经元（细胞吸收激光刺激，导致对神经元的损伤最小）以在神经系统中产生动作电位，其风险低于其他手术，因为不对患者进行手术。这项研究的目的是通过应用光学刺激从小鼠视觉皮层区域产生神经反应，从长远来看，这可能会导致神经电信号的再次传输，从而为那些似乎失去视力的人带来视力。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Total blindness due to a lesion in the eye or optic nerve is a debilitating condition that affects a large number of people worldwide and for which there is of yet no cure.The prevalence of blindness in the United States is about 1.1 million, and world wide it affects about 45 million people. Electrical impulses (containing bits of visual information) in the retina are carried from photoreceptor cells via the optic nerve to the brain, where a picture is assembled. Severe disruption of any part of this pathway by disease or trauma leads to blindness. Whereas pathologic phenomenon in the visual cortex are responsible for blindness, these comprise a small percentage of the total cases. Most cases are subcortical and peripheral , including the eye, optic nerve, tracts and related structures. For example Cataract, trachoma and glaucoma are responsible for more than 70 % of the global blindness. The visual cortex is spared and functional in a majority of the blind. It can be postulated that if the visual cortex is reasonably functional it may be possible to stimulate the cortex directly to elicit the sensation of vision. This aim of this study is to evaluate the ability to elicit electrophysiological responses in visual cortex by direct cortical stimulation using a non invasive approach. Current approaches employ intrusive mechanical electrodes that would have limited potential for clinical application. Laser stimulation of neurons (cells absorbing laser stimulation resulting in minimal damage to the neuron) to create action potentials in the nervous system has fewer risks than other procedures since surgery is not performed on the patient. The objective of this study is to create neural responses from areas of the mouse visual cortex through the application of optical stimulation, which may, in the long run, lead to the transmission of neuro-electrical signals once again, and consequently bring vision to those who have seemingly lost the phenomenon of sight.