India, Oct. 5 -- The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth and German scientists Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, official sources said on Monday. The three scientists have been recognised for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

Their work has transformed neuroscience by enabling researchers to study and control the activity of specific nerve cells using light. The discoveries have provided powerful new ways to investigate how neural circuits function and how different parts of the brain communicate.

Research Opens New Avenues For Understanding The Brain

Optogenetics uses light-sensitive proteins to influence the activity of nerve cells. ...