New discovery on human social disorders

Scientist have found a way to turn off and on social disorder behaviors by using a method known as optogenetics. People facing social disorders such as schizophrenia or autism have different brain wave patterns known as gamma-oscillations. Researchers have taken this fact into consideration and used optogenetics to bioengineer excitatory and inhibitory nerve cells in regions of the brain that have been linked with social disorders. When these nerve cells (used in mice) were amped up inside the mice they had an instantaneous shift in their social behaviors becoming anti-social and this was shown to have the same brain waves as the gamma-oscillations. When the waves were then turned up and returned back to normal the social abilities returned to the mice. This give a slight insight into the future uses of this technology.







I was interested in this article because autism is surrounded by a great deal of mystery and knowing at least a little insight into the future technology is inspiring and exciting.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-07/scientists-switch-social-behaviors-and-mice-shedding-light-human-social-disorders