A new breakthrough technology, co-developed by UCL scientists, that simultaneously records and manipulates neuron activity deep within the brain could transform our understanding of neural circuits and neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.

The device, known as Neuropixels Opto and researched in mice, integrates two powerful but traditionally separate techniques—electrophysiology (the study of the electrical activity of living cells) and optogenetics (combining genetics and optics to control cells). They form a single probe, enabling unprecedented insight into how individual neurons in the brain function and interact.