Light Could Make Paralyzed Limbs Move 63
Zothecula writes "In a study that could eventually restore movement to humans' paralyzed limbs, researchers at California's Stanford University have used light to induce muscle contractions in mice. A gene derived from algae was inserted into the mice, encoding a light-sensitive protein which adhered to their nerve cell surfaces. Scientists then placed an 'optical cuff' lined with tiny, inwards-facing LEDs around the mice's sciatic nerves. By penetrating those nerves with brief, high-intensity bursts of blue light, they were able to produce muscle contractions similar to those that would occur naturally. The technology is called 'optogenetics.'"
Now for generating light from nerve impulses (Score:3, Insightful)
If they can make muscles contract and relax according to the supply or lack thereof of a bright light, then a great next step is to get a bundle of nerve tissue to generate a bright light when they are excited. Then fiber optics could potentially be used as artificial nerve tissue to route around damage. The limits of bioluminescence might not allow for interaction with this, though.
Even if there's an inorganic portion needed to generate a bright enough light, having that controlled directly by nerve tissue (and maybe fueled by ATP or body heat if possible) could be a huge advance over the conductive wires and external battery bags being tested now.