# Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to trio for optogenetics brain research

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has gone to three researchers credited with developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to switch neurons on and off. The approach has transformed neuroscience by letting scientists control specific brain cells in living animals, shedding light on how the brain governs behaviour and offering potential new routes for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.

**Importance:** 3/5

## Sources

### World
- [The Guardian World](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/oct/05/nobel-prize-medicine-2026-winner) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:52:07 GMT
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/5/nobel-medicine-prize-honours-us-and-german-scientists-for-optogenetics-work?traffic_source=rss) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:18:18 +0000
- [The Guardian World](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/12/nobel-prize-for-economics-hall-woodford-new-keynesian-models) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:47:15 GMT

### Science
- [New Scientist](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2591980-nobel-prize-for-medicine-goes-to-trio-who-developed-optogenetics/?utm_campaign=RSS|NSNS&utm_content=home&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=NSNS) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:37:07 +0000
- [Nature](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03092-1) — 2026-10-06