Anxiety and Optogenetics

Psychiatry is changing and will be unrecognizable in the next 10-20 years, given our new understanding about the role of brain circuits in the generation of emotions and behavior.

This week we talk to Professor Karl Deisseroth, D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. We discuss his work on optogenetics and the insights it has given into the workings of the human brain.

Professor Deisseroth also explains the potential for the future of psychiatry: including deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and the use of our smartphone and digital data, known as our “digital exhaust”. Will these methods become a regular part of psychiatric practice in the future?

Theory and Practice is a presentation of GV and Google AI.

This season we'll dive deep into the languages of life through explorations of the "dark genome", genome editing, protein folding, the future of aging, and more.

Hosted by Anthony Philippakis (Venture Partner at GV) and Alex Wiltschko (Staff Research Scientist with Google AI), Theory and Practice opens the doors to the cutting edge of biology and computer science through conversations with leaders in the field.