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Nature Neuroscience 11, 630 (1 June 2008) | doi:10.1038/nn0608-630

Visual enlightenment

Noah Gray

Genetically targeted optical control of neuronal activity is one of the more exciting and important techniques in the study and manipulation of neural circuits. Now, on page 667 of this issue, Lagali et al. demonstrate that light-activated channels could also be used therapeutically by restoring photosensitivity to a visual circuit in a rodent model of retinal degeneration (rd1) with channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2).