Optogenetics is a method for controlling a neuron's activity using light and genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a process where scientists change the information in the genetic code (the blueprints) of a living thing. In optogenetic studies, scientists take the genetic code of the neurons they want to study and add a new piece of code to it. The new code allows these neurons to make special proteins, called opsins, which respond to light. Opsins occur naturally and were first discovered in algae, which use these proteins to help them move toward light. But how does the opsin get into the neuron? This requires some specialized laboratory techniques. Let's look at a mouse as our example. To get the opsin into the neurons of a mouse, the genetic code for the opsin must be carefully inserted into the genetic code for the neurons in the mouse. If this is done correctly, now every neuron in the mouse should have the opsin. Because we understand a lot about the genetic code of the mouse, we can choose where to put the opsin. We can insert the code into a specific type of neuron, or into a specific location in the brain.

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