3 Scientists Receive Nobel Prize for Brain Activity Research

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to three scientists.

Dr. Karl Deisseroth, an American psychiatrist, and two German biophysicists, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, received the prize on Oct. 5 and will share $1.2 million equally.

The assembly said the three men received the award “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics,” or a technique that lets scientists control with light the neurons in animals’ brains.

“Optogenetics has fundamentally altered our understanding of the brain,” the committee said. “Every day brings new discoveries, helping to solve one of humanity’s great mysteries: how our incredible brain works.”

Hegemann, 71, of Humboldt University, and Nagel, 73, until recently a professor at the University of Würzburg, discovered in the 2000s proteins called channelrhodopsin in single-celled algae.

In 2003, Nagel and Hegemann published findings showing the protein could be introduced into human cells to generate electrical impulses using light.

Deisseroth, 54, a Stanford University professor, used channelrhodopsin in experiments with rat nerve cells in 20025, and later figured out how to control cells in living mice brains with light.

“I couldn’t be happier because the trio that the committee picked spans the progression from the early algal explorations all the way to advanced neuroscience experiments, so this prize really captures the full journey of discovery,” Deisseroth said in a statement.

“Peter Hegemann is a visionary researcher: the discovery of light-controlled ion channels in green algae was made as part of a basic research project,” Dr. Julia von Blumenthal, president of Humboldt University, said in a statement. She said the school “is fortunate to count Peter Hegemann amongst its researchers.”

Paul Pauli, president of the University of Würzburg, congratulated Nagel, who taught at the university until July.

Treatments Under Development

The three laureates’ research is now providing insights about brain disorders. Animal models are being used to understand schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and addiction—conditions that affect millions of people worldwide and have limited treatment options.

Deisseroth used optogenetics to control the movements of mouse whiskers by activating specific nerve cells in the motor cortex. He also used light to wake sleeping mice, confirming that specific nerve cells control wakefulness.

“There are mouse models of dementia, epilepsy, addiction,” Anna Wedell, a professor in genetics and a member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine. “By understanding which cells are active in these diseases in mice, we can understand where to look in humans.”

Researchers are also applying the technique to try to restore vision to people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye disease, by inserting a light-sensitive protein into the retina. They also hope optogenetics could improve cochlear implants, potentially allowing more precise stimulation of the auditory nerve than current electrical devices.

“When you think about it in the retina, all patients need to do is open their eyes and you have the light,” said Paul Bresge, CEO of U.S. biotechnology company Ray Therapeutics, which is developing a therapy to treat retinitis pigmentosa. “So it makes a lot of sense as a potential therapy.”

The most advanced of the treatments are autism spectrum disorder therapy by a U.S.-based biotech company MapLight, co-founded by Deisseroth, and a vision restoration medicine for retinitis pigmentosa by Nanoscope, also based in the United States, though both still require more research before reaching patients.

Reuters contributed to this report.