(4:27) Ed Boyden, a member of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, develops new strategies for manipulating brain activity. He uses a wide variety of technologies to find new and more potent ways to alter brain function, for both research and therapeutic purposes. A major goal of his current work is to manipulate individual nerve cells using light – a powerful new technology, called optogenetics, that could open the door to new treatments for brain disorders.

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[Stock footage and animations courtesy of Sputnik Animation, Elekta Instrument AB, pond5, and istockphoto]