Meet the Maker – SunRisa

SunRisa – The Sun-like Alarm Clock
Prof. Steve M. Potter: Hacking and studying brains with light and electronics

Dr. Potter’s lab recently published their latest open-source tool for brain interfacing, called the “Optoclamp” in the journal eLife. This involves altering the genes in brain cells to make them excited by light from blue LEDs and inhibited by light from yellow LEDs, so their activity level can be fine-tuned. They built a closed-loop system to study how neural circuits respond to certain neuroactive drugs or other perturbations, such as seizures. By developing tools for modulating brain activity with electricity and light, and by sharing these tools with other researchers, Dr. Potter’s research is helping other labs solve diseases where the brain’s homeostasis has gone awry, such as epilepsy, chronic pain, tinnitus, and depression. He can be reached by email: steve.potter AT bme.gatech.edu.
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