The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to scientists whose discoveries led to optogenetics — a method that allows researchers to demonstrate how nerve cells create memories, feelings, and behavior in the living brain, infohub.kz reports.
According to the official Nobel Prize website, the laureates are Peter Hegemann, Georg Nagel, and Karl Deisseroth. "Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel discovered a remarkable protein in a single-celled alga — channelrhodopsin. Karl Deisseroth turned this protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells. The laureates laid the foundation for a new era in neuroscience," the release states.
The question of how the brain controls feelings, behavior, and bodily functions long remained a mystery. In the 20th century, researchers began to study which brain areas are responsible for specific functions, but the methods used could not prove causal relationships. The picture of the brain they formed resembled a schematic map full of question marks and unknown elements. Now the situation is changing.
"Optogenetics opens up possibilities for mapping the brain that we could previously only dream of," says Per Svenningsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine.
It all began with Peter Hegemann's curiosity. He was interested in how the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas is able to swim toward a light source. In the early 2000s, together with Georg Nagel, he discovered channelrhodopsin — a protein with unique properties located on the surface of the algal cell.
"When blue light hits it, a channel opens in the protein. As a result, charged ions rush into the cell, generating an electrical impulse. The researchers found that when this protein was introduced into any other cells, they also became sensitive to light," the statement said.
Karl Deisseroth then introduced the channelrhodopsin gene into rat nerve cells. By exposing these cells to blue light, he was able to trigger a nerve impulse. He reported his breakthrough in 2005. Two years later, he managed to make this light-controlled mechanism work in the brains of living mice.
This method of controlling nerve signals with light became known as "optogenetics" and quickly gained global significance. Using optogenetics, researchers have been able to identify neural circuits responsible for specific memories, feelings, and behaviors that play an important role in neurological and psychiatric disorders. In clinical medicine, the method is being used in attempts to restore vision in people with visual impairments.
"Optogenetics has fundamentally changed our understanding of the brain. Every new day brings discoveries that help unravel one of humanity's greatest mysteries — how our remarkable brain works," the committee said.