{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Elleman AV"],"funding":["NIMH NIH HHS","NINDS NIH HHS","NIGMS NIH HHS"],"pagination":["1324-1335.e20"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11260259"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["31(7)"],"pubmed_abstract":["The ability to optically stimulate and inhibit neurons has revolutionized neuroscience research. Here, we present a direct, potent, user-friendly chemical approach for optically silencing neurons. We have rendered saxitoxin (STX), a naturally occurring paralytic agent, transiently inert through chemical protection with a previously undisclosed nitrobenzyl-derived photocleavable group. Exposing the caged toxin, STX-bpc, to a brief (5 ms) pulse of light effects rapid release of a potent STX derivative and transient, spatially precise blockade of voltage-gated sodium channels (Na<sub>V</sub>s). We demonstrate the efficacy of STX-bpc for parametrically manipulating action potentials in mammalian neurons and brain slice. Additionally, we show the effectiveness of this reagent for silencing neur"],"journal":["Cell chemical biology"],"pubmed_title":["Behavioral control through the direct, focal silencing of neuronal activity."],"pmcid":["PMC11260259"],"funding_grant_id":["DP2 MH132944","R00 NS104215","R21 NS107003","R01 GM117263","R35 GM146885"],"pubmed_authors":["Milicic N","Simko J","Liu CJ","Elleman AV","Haynes AL","Makinson CD","Williams DJ","Du Bois J","Ehrlich DE"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Behavioral control through the direct, focal silencing of neuronal activity.","description":"The ability to optically stimulate and inhibit neurons has revolutionized neuroscience research. Here, we present a direct, potent, user-friendly chemical approach for optically silencing neurons. We have rendered saxitoxin (STX), a naturally occurring paralytic agent, transiently inert through chemical protection with a previously undisclosed nitrobenzyl-derived photocleavable group. Exposing the caged toxin, STX-bpc, to a brief (5 ms) pulse of light effects rapid release of a potent STX derivative and transient, spatially precise blockade of voltage-gated sodium channels (Na<sub>V</sub>s). We demonstrate the efficacy of STX-bpc for parametrically manipulating action potentials in mammalian neurons and brain slice. Additionally, we show the effectiveness of this reagent for silencing neur","dates":{"release":"2024-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2024 Jul","modification":"2026-03-27T16:23:43.272Z","creation":"2025-08-31T03:05:29.998Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC11260259","cross_references":{"pubmed":["38729162"],"doi":["10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.04.003"]}}