India, Oct. 5 -- The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded Monday to three scientists whose research into how individual nerve cells can be switched on and off has transformed the study of brain activity.

Karl Deisseroth, 54, Peter Hegemann, 71, and Georg Nagel, 73, were recognised for their work on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, a technique that allows scientists to use light to control the activity of nerve cells.

The Nobel Assembly said their discoveries have enabled researchers to investigate the brain in ways that were previously difficult or impossible.

The Nobel committee, in a post on X, said the method "is now being used in laboratories around the world to reveal the brain's mysteries."

Deisseroth is based at Stanfo...