It is cool, but having fiber optics poking out of your head is pretty conspicuous.
Chemogenetics (RASSLs/DREADDs)[0] and magnetogenetics[1] allow for more subtle activation. The interesting magnetogenetics results from the mid 2010s were not well-reproduced in the late 2010s, but the physical principle seems sound to me. I'm still hopeful that the technique will see successful application in mammals. Being able to turn the effect off quickly by stopping the external stimulation (vs. having to wait for drug metabolism/excretion in the case of chemogenetics) seems very useful.
Edit: the magnetoreceptors I read about in 2018 were naturally occurring in some turbid-water-dwelling fish. If they don't work well outside the chemical environment of the fish brain, it may be a while before a suitable alternative receptor can be discovered/engineered and used effectively in mammals.
Skepticism about the utility of magnetogenetics is definitely warranted, given how much RF pollution there is in our environment. If your patients have to live the rest of their lives in a shielded room (or wearing a helmet) to prevent unintentional stimulation, then it's not a very good therapy. It could still be useful for preclinical research where you have more control over your subjects' environment, though.
Chemogenetics (RASSLs/DREADDs)[0] and magnetogenetics[1] allow for more subtle activation. The interesting magnetogenetics results from the mid 2010s were not well-reproduced in the late 2010s, but the physical principle seems sound to me. I'm still hopeful that the technique will see successful application in mammals. Being able to turn the effect off quickly by stopping the external stimulation (vs. having to wait for drug metabolism/excretion in the case of chemogenetics) seems very useful.
Edit: the magnetoreceptors I read about in 2018 were naturally occurring in some turbid-water-dwelling fish. If they don't work well outside the chemical environment of the fish brain, it may be a while before a suitable alternative receptor can be discovered/engineered and used effectively in mammals.
Skepticism about the utility of magnetogenetics is definitely warranted, given how much RF pollution there is in our environment. If your patients have to live the rest of their lives in a shielded room (or wearing a helmet) to prevent unintentional stimulation, then it's not a very good therapy. It could still be useful for preclinical research where you have more control over your subjects' environment, though.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receptor_activated_solely_by_a...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetogenetics