We often seek to “turn off” our brain and “veg out,” but perhaps there are times when we wish we had a literal switch to turn our brains on and off.  Can our brains be changed by human intervention?  Should we do so?  Ed Boyden shows how, by inserting genes for light-sensitive proteins into brain cells, he can selectively activate or de-activate specific neurons with fiber-optic implants. With this unprecedented level of control, he’s managed to cure mice of analogs of PTSD and certain forms of blindness. On the horizon: neural prosthetics.

Working with an extraordinary array of tools — from 3-D printers to lasers to flasks of algae — Ed Boyden is creating new brains. A pioneer in the field of optogenetics, he is the founder and principal investigator of the synthetic neurobiology group at MIT.

Using a combination of lasers and genetic engineering, he implants brains with optical fibers that allow him to activate special proteins in specific neurons and see their connections. In addition to helping create detailed maps of brain circuitry, the engineering of these cells has been used to cure blindness in mice, and could point the way to cures for Parkinsons or Alzheimers, or to ways of connecting to the brain via prosthetics.  So listen to his presentation, and then you decide:  Can man make a “switch” for his brain?