Feng Zhang
Videos
Feng Zhang is a Chinese-born American biochemist and neuroscientist. He is the James and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a core institute me
Zhang in 2017
Optogenetics
Videos
Optogenetics is a biological technique used to characterize and manipulate the activity of neurons or other cell types with light. This is achieved by expression of light-sensitive ion channels, pumps
Feng Zhang
…Sciences and Department of Biological Engineering, and as an HHMI investigator. Zhang is most well known for his central role in the development of optogenetics and CRISPR technologies. In 2025, he was awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honor the United States confers for achievements…
Fig 1. Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) induces temporally precise blue light-driven activity in rat prelimbic prefrontal cortical neurons. a) In vitro schematic (left) showing blue light delivery and whole-cell patch-clamp recording of light-evoked activity from a fluorescent CaMKllα::ChR2-EYFP expressing pyramidal neuron (right) in an acute brain slice. b) In vivo schematic (left) showing blue light (473 nm) delivery and single-unit recording. (bottom left) Coronal brain slice showing expression of CaMKllα::ChR2-EYFP in the prelimbic region. Light blue arrow shows tip of the optical fiber; black arrow shows tip of the recording electrode (left). White bar, 100
Fig 2. Halorhodopsin (NpHR) rapidly and reversibly silences spontaneous activity in vivo in rat prelimbic prefrontal cortex. (Top left) Schematic showing in vivo green (532 nm) light delivery and single- unit recording of a spontaneously active CaMKllα::eNpHR3.0- EYFP expressing pyramidal neuron. (Right) Example trace showing that continuous 532 nm illumination inhibits single-unit activity in vivo. Inset, representative single unit event; Green bar, 10 seconds.
Cages for rat equipped with optogenetic LED commutators which permit in vivo study of animal behavior during optogenetic stimulations
Brain Gate