Key Takeaways:
- The brain relies on long-distance connections, but scientists have lacked precise tools to control specific pathways.
- This study introduces a new method to selectively turn individual brain connections on or off with high precision.
- The approach brings us closer to understanding how human brain networks function, and how their disruption leads to disease.
Understanding how the brain works requires more than studying single regions in isolation. The cerebral cortex depends on long-distance connections that link specialized areas into coordinated networks. But scientists have had limited tools for selectively turning these specific connections “on” or “off” in animal models that most closely resemble the human brain.
A new study appearing in Cell Reports Methods describes a new method developed…