Medicine Nobel Prize rewards scientists for breakthrough allowing control of neurons with light
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TL;DR
- Karl Deisseroth (USA), Peter Hegemann (Germany), and Georg Nagel (Germany) won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
- Their discoveries led to the development of optogenetics, a technique that controls nerve cells using light.
- Optogenetics allows researchers to observe the influence of specific nerve cells on memories, feelings, and behaviors.
- The technique has applications in investigating brain circuits, treating neurological and psychiatric diseases, and experimental vision restoration.
- The laureates will share approximately $1.2 million.