Understanding how the brain works requires more than studying single regions in isolation. The cerebral cortex relies on long-range connections that link specialized areas into coordinated networks. But scientists didn’t have the tools to selectively turn these specific connections “on” or “off” in the animal models that most closely resemble the human brain.
New research appeared in cell report method describes a new method developed by scientists at the University of Rochester Del Monte Neuroscience Institute to control specific communication pathways in the brain of the common marmoset, a small primate widely used in neuroscience.
This research provides a new way to precisely target how brain regions communicate. We are now able to control specific pathways rather than having widespread effects, allowing us to gain a clearer picture of the circuitry behind complex behaviors and brain disorders. ”
Dr. Quan Hong Wan, lead study author
Using a sophisticated virus- and light-based technique called optogenetics, the research team was able to target only the neurons that connect one brain region to another, activating or silencing the same cells on demand. Optogenetics is a method of using light to control cells that have been genetically modified to respond to light. Neuroscience allows researchers to selectively activate or inhibit specific neurons.
These discoveries represent an important advance, as they allow scientists to manipulate individual long-range brain circuits with much greater precision than previously possible. Researchers can now isolate a single communication pathway within the complex and highly interconnected cortex, rather than broadly affecting many nearby cells.
New techniques deepen our understanding of how distributed brain networks support higher-order functions such as perception, decision-making, and social behavior. In the long term, such tools will also help reveal how disruptions in specific brain circuits contribute to neurological and psychiatric diseases and guide the development of more targeted treatments.
Other co-authors on the study include Luke Shaw, Krishnan Padmanabhan, Amy Bucklaew and Jude Mitchell of the University of Rochester. This research was supported by funding from the Del Monte Neuroscience Institute’s Schmidt Program on Integrative Neuroscience, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Eye Institute.
sauce:
University of Rochester Medical Center
Reference magazines:
Shaw, L. others. (2026). Projection-specific cross-optogenetics for precise excitation and inhibition in the marmoset brain. Cell report method. DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2026.101368. https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-methods/fulltext/S2667-2375(26)00068-8
