Author: Flora Liu, MD
IARS and SOCCA 2026 Annual Meeting coverage
Emerging neurotechnologies are allowing researchers to examine the brain at increasingly detailed levels, manipulate neural activity, and observe multiple biological processes simultaneously. During the 2026 IARS and SOCCA Annual Meeting, Edward S. Boyden, PhD, described several technologies that may transform neuroscience and improve understanding of how anesthetics affect consciousness and brain function.
The session also recognized Joseph Cichon, MD, PhD, as the inaugural recipient of the Emery N. Brown Early-Career Award. Dr. Cichon studies rapid-acting psychedelic therapies and uses two-photon microscopy to observe how these drugs promote neuroplasticity within living brain tissue.
Dr. Boyden first discussed expansion microscopy, a technique that physically enlarges biological specimens so nanoscale structures can be examined with conventional microscopes. Proteins, RNA, and DNA are attached to a swellable polymer network, allowing tissue to expand while maintaining its spatial organization.
This process makes structures such as synapses, proteins, and densely packed amyloid plaques easier to visualize. Combining expansion microscopy with lattice light-sheet imaging can dramatically increase imaging speed compared with traditional super-resolution methods.
Expansion microscopy also creates physical space between crowded molecules, allowing fluorescent markers to reach targets that may otherwise be inaccessible. The technique has been widely adopted because it is relatively accessible, scalable, and supported by openly available training materials.
Dr. Boyden next reviewed optogenetics, which uses light-sensitive microbial proteins to activate or suppress specific neurons. By introducing light-responsive ion channels or pumps into selected cells, researchers can control neural activity with exceptional speed and precision.
Optogenetics has moved beyond laboratory experimentation. A gene therapy using a red-light-activated channel restored partial visual function in a blind patient, allowing the individual to recognize objects after training. This demonstrates the potential for neurotechnology to repair or replace damaged neural functions.
The presentation also addressed the challenge of measuring multiple biological signals within living cells. Dr. Boyden’s laboratory has developed spatial and temporal multiplexing methods using genetically encoded fluorescent reporters.
Spatial multiplexing separates signals according to their location inside the cell, allowing investigators to observe several signaling pathways simultaneously. This technique has helped researchers examine the relationship between calcium signaling and protein kinase A activation in hippocampal neurons.
Temporal multiplexing distinguishes biological signals according to their timing patterns. Multiple kinase, metabolic, or cell-cycle activities can therefore be measured through a single imaging channel without overlapping fluorescent signals.
These approaches have also enabled researchers to record voltage activity throughout the brains of larval zebrafish at cellular resolution. Observing brain-wide activity in real time may reveal how individual neurons and larger networks coordinate behavioral and conscious states.
Key Takeaways
Expansion microscopy allows biological specimens to be physically enlarged so nanoscale neural structures can be examined using more accessible imaging equipment.
Optogenetics provides precise control over selected neurons and has progressed from basic research toward human therapeutic applications.
Spatial and temporal multiplexing permit researchers to observe multiple signaling pathways and biochemical processes simultaneously within living cells.
Whole-brain imaging may help investigators understand how anesthetics alter neuronal communication, network coordination, and transitions between consciousness and unconsciousness.
These open and scalable technologies may ultimately contribute to improved treatments for neurological disease, restoration of damaged sensory functions, and increasingly accurate simulations of brain activity.
Thank you to IARS and SOCCA for allowing us to summarize this important coverage from the 2026 Annual Meeting.