Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
We cordially invite you to the next EKFZ Guest Lecture:
Prof. Dr. Ofer Yizhar: Highly sensitive optogenetic silencing with novel OptoGPCRs
Date and time:
December 2, 2025 (Tuesday), 4:00 PM
Location:
Lecture hall at the MPI-NAT City Campus (Hermann-Rein-Straße 3, 37075 Göttingen)
Abstract:
Long-range communication between brain regions allows synchrony and coordination between distant neural circuits, and is the foundation for complex information processing and behavior. While optogenetic tools have been widely used for the excitation of neuronal cell bodies and axons, optogenetic silencing of long-range transmission has posed significant challenges. We designed a new set of inhibitory bistable rhodopsins that couple to the Gi/o signaling pathway and can be used to suppress synaptic release in vitro and in vivo, in a spatially and temporally precise manner. These new tools allow highly light-sensitive silencing and facilitate spectral multiplexing for combined modulation and imaging, opening new and exciting avenues in basic and translational optogenetic modulation.
About Ofer Yizhar:
Ofer Yizhar is a professor of Brain Sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He received his PhD from the Tel Aviv University and did his postdoctoral work with Karl Deisseroth at Stanford University. He established his own research group at the Weizmann Institute in 2011. His lab develops new techniques for studying the brain, and uses these techniques to understand the brain circuits involved in memory, decision making and social behavior.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Tobias Brügmann will welcome the speaker.
You are welcome to share the announcement and info flyer with everyone who might be interested.
Best regards,
Marie
