A Light Switch for the Brain

This article gave us a new hope of treating epilepsy, Parkinson's and other disease. Scientists can turn on and off specific parts of the brain with a simple flash of light. That is the new molecular tool, developed by scientists at MIT and Stanford, allows unprecedented control over the brain. It could also help neuroscientists crack the language of the brain: the information encoded in the electrical activity of neurons, which forms our memories and directs our every move.
This newfound ability to precisely control neurons could finally bring answers to major questions about the brain. We hope it might help scientists find the specific cells or neural activity patterns that are involved in cognitive processes, such as attention, or in particular diseases, such as epilepsy.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/18488/