High-Throughput Screening of Therapeutic Neural Stimulation Targets: Toward Principles of Preventing and Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Abstract
During the first year of our funding, we have discovered, using our optical neural activation techniques, that optical activation of neurons of the infralimbic (IL) cortex, in a mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), during exposure therapy, results in rapid and enduring remission of the symptoms of PTSD. To accomplish this, in the first year we invented and deployed several novel technologies: we developed viruses that sensitize cortical neurons to being driven and inhibited by light, we developed arrays of optical fibers for delivering light into 3-D patterns in the brain, we secured approval for all behavioral experiments in animals, we developed precision fear-conditioning equipment optimized for optical control, we invented injector arrays that facilitate the injection of viruses throughout the brain, and we developed new neural silencers to improve the screening process. We are continuing to refine these techniques, and to screen for other targets in the brain that can modulate fear symptoms, including cortical areas and the amygdala.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA514216
Entities
People
- Edward Boyden
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology