Reversible silencing of neuronal activity is a powerful approach for isolating the roles of
specific neuronal populations in circuit dynamics and behavior. In contrast with neuronal …

Brain function is mediated by neural circuit connectivity, and elucidating the role of
connections is aided by techniques to block their output. We developed cell-type-selective …

Technologies for silencing the electrical activity of genetically targeted neurons in the brain
are important for assessing the contribution of specific cell types and pathways toward …

Optogenetic silencing using light-driven ion fluxes permits rapid and effective inhibition of
neural activity. Using rodent hippocampal neurons, we found that silencing activity with a …

In a departure from previous top-down or bottom-up strategies used to understand neuronal
circuits, many forward-looking research programs now place the circuit itself at their centre …

Information is carried between brain regions through neurotransmitter release from axonal
presynaptic terminals. Understanding the functional roles of defined neuronal projection …

To understand how function arises from the interactions between neurons, it is necessary to
use methods that allow the monitoring of brain activity at the single-neuron, single-spike …

Tools for suppressing synaptic transmission gain power when able to target highly selective
neuron subtypes, thereby sharpening attainable links between neuron type, behavior, and …

Optogenetic channels and ion pumps have become indispensable tools in neuroscience to
manipulate neuronal activity and thus to establish synaptic connectivity and behavioral …

Optogenetic methodology enables direct targeting of specific neural circuit elements for
inhibition or excitation while spanning timescales from the acute (milliseconds) to the …