1. Thermal constraints on in vivo optogenetic manipulations
- Author
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Scott F. Owen, Max H. Liu, and Anatol C. Kreitzer
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Opsin ,Potassium Channels ,Patch-Clamp Techniques ,Hot Temperature ,Light ,Barium Compounds ,Action Potentials ,Striatum ,Motor Activity ,Optogenetics ,Light delivery ,Hippocampus ,Article ,Mice ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Chlorides ,In vivo ,Genetics ,Psychology ,Animals ,Premovement neuronal activity ,Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying ,Potassium conductance ,Cerebral Cortex ,Neurons ,Neurology & Neurosurgery ,Ion Transport ,Chemistry ,General Neuroscience ,Neurosciences ,Temperature ,Corpus Striatum ,Inwardly Rectifying ,Potassium current ,030104 developmental biology ,Research Design ,Potassium ,Cognitive Sciences ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
A key assumption of optogenetics is that light only affects opsin-expressing neurons. However, illumination invariably heats tissue, and many physiological processes are temperature-sensitive. Commonly used illumination protocols increased the temperature by 0.2–2 °C and suppressed spiking in multiple brain regions. In the striatum, light delivery activated an inwardly rectifying potassium conductance and biased rotational behavior. Thus, careful consideration of light-delivery parameters is required, as even modest intracranial heating can confound interpretation of optogenetic experiments. Optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience, but intracranial illumination can cause off-target effects. Owen et al. identify a temperature-sensitive potassium current that modulates neuronal activity and behavior independent of opsin expression.
- Published
- 2019
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