Researchers at the University of Bonn have found a way to stimulate the larynx muscles of mice using light. In the long term, this method could be an option for the treatment of laryngeal paralysis, which causes difficulties in phonation and breathing. Muscles respond to nerve stimulation by contracting. Normally, light cannot be used to initiate these contractions. Several years ago, however, an exotic group of molecules known as Channelrhodopsins was discovered in green algae.
Channelrhodopsins are ion channels that open when illuminated. When channelrhodopsins are appropriately packaged and injected into a muscle, they integrate into individual muscle cells. As soon as these cells are exposed to light, the channels open and positively charged ions flow into the muscle cell, which then contracts. As a result, this method may point the way to new treatment approaches. In a few years,…
