Optically-Controlled CNS Dysfunction
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsKarl Deisseroth, Kay Tye, Lief Fenno
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided herein are animals expressing light-responsive opsin proteins in the basal lateral amygdala of the brain and methods for producing the same wherein illumination of the light-responsive opsin proteins causes anxiety in the animal. Also provided herein are methods for alleviating and inducing anxiety in an animal as well as methods for screening for a compound that alleviates anxiety in an animal.
Claims18
1-18. (canceled)
A method for alleviating anxiety in an individual, the method comprising:
- (a) administering to the individual an effective amount of a recombinant expression vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding a light-responsive opsin, wherein the nucleic acid is operably linked to a promoter that controls the specific expression of the opsin in the glutamatergic pyramidal neurons of the basolateral amygdala (BLA), wherein the opsin is expressed in the glutamatergic pyramidal neurons of the BLA, wherein the opsin is an opsin that induces depolarization by light;
- and
- (b) selectively illuminating the opsin in the glutamatergic pyramidal neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) to alleviate anxiety.
A method for inducing anxiety in a non-human animal, the method comprising:
- (a) administering to the non-human animal an effective amount of a recombinant vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding an opsin, wherein the nucleic acid is operably linked to a promoter that controls the specific expression of the opsin in the glutamatergic pyramidal neurons of the basolateral amygdala (BLA), wherein the opsin is expressed in the glutamatergic pyramidal neurons of the BLA, wherein the opsin is an opsin that induces hyperpolarization by light;
- and
- (b) selectively illuminating the opsin in the glutamatergic pyramidal neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) to induce anxiety.
22-31. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.