New tool to identify and control neurons

One of the big challenges in the neuroscience field is to understand how connections and communications trigger our behavior. Researchers have now developed a tool to identify and control neurons. The new technique, called Calcium and Light-Induced Gene Handling Toolkit or ‘Cal-Light,’ allows researchers to observe and manipulate the neural activities underlying behavior with never-before-seen specificity, hopefully allowing researchers to identify causality between neuronal activity and behavior.