Leland Stanford Junior University

Lief Fenno

Karl A Deisseroth

Ofer Yizhar

Peter Hegemann

Matthias Prigge

Kay Tye

Provided herein are compositions comprising non-human animals comprising neurons expressing stabilized step function opsin proteins on neural plasma membranes and methods of using the same to selectively depolarize neurons residing in microcircuits of the pre-frontal cortex to affect one or more social behaviors, communications, and/or conditioned behaviors in the non-human animal.

Stabilized step function opsin proteins and methods of using the same

Provided herein are compositions comprising light-activated chimeric proteins expressed on plasma membranes and methods of using the same to selectively depolarize excitatory or inhibitory neurons.

Light-activated chimeric opsins and methods of using the same

Provided herein are animals expressing light-responsive opsin proteins in the basal lateral amygdala of the brain and methods for producing the same wherein illumination of the light-responsive opsin proteins causes anxiety in the animal. Also provided herein are methods for alleviating and inducing anxiety in an animal as well as methods for screening for a compound that alleviates anxiety in an animal.

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Lief Fenno