Current opinion in neurobiology
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Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. · Feb 2013
ReviewOptogenetics in a transparent animal: circuit function in the larval zebrafish.
Optogenetic tools can be used to manipulate neuronal activity in a reversible and specific manner. In recent years, such methods have been applied to uncover causal relationships between activity in specified neuronal circuits and behavior in the larval zebrafish. In this small, transparent, genetic model organism, noninvasive manipulation and monitoring of neuronal activity with light is possible throughout the nervous system. Here we review recent work in which these new tools have been applied to zebrafish, and discuss some of the existing challenges of these approaches.
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Pain is a complex consciousness that emerges from the brain, and is commonly a result of nociception; the physiological process initiated by activation of specialised high-threshold peripheral sensory neurons. When pain is persistent, its affective aspects can dominate and cause considerable suffering. This chronic pain state is not an inevitable consequence of physical injury or disease. ⋯ The biological bases for chronic pain can now be defined and measured by brain neuroimaging at a systems level, where penetrance of genetic variation should be higher when compared to syndromal phenotypes. To date, very few neuroimaging studies have attempted to connect brain activity associated with pain to genes. We review these together with other pertinent studies here, and suggest how neuroimaging endophenotypes might prove useful for the development of treatments for chronic pain.