Potential of optogenetics for the behavior manipulation of non-human primates

Abstract

Optogenetics, which enables the manipulation of neural activities in millisecond order by light stimulation, is new and useful technology for neuroscience research. With this technology, many important issues of neural functions have been elucidated with causal arguments in the small model animals, such as mice. For the understanding of the higher brain function, the applications of optogenetics for non-human primates, such as macaque monkeys, are expected. However, only a few studies have been reported about the optogenetic manipulation of non-human primates’ behavior. In this chapter, we highlight the difficulties in applying optogenetics on non-human primates, and then review the current situations in this study field, and discuss the future perspectives, including circuit-level manipulations by optogenetics. To advance optogenetic studies in non-human primates, several technical improvements—efficient gene expression using viral vectors, cell-typespecific or pathway-specifi c gene expression and efficient light delivery in a large brain—are required.