Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine is awarded for discoveries in neuroscience

By LEO SANDS

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine Monday for their discoveries in neuroscience.

The three scientists researched light-gated ion channels, a type of proteins, to establish the field of optogenetics, a pioneering technique that uses tiny lights to activate discrete groups of neurons in the brain, said Abdel El Manira, a member of the Nobel Committee that awarded the prize.

The discovery has illuminated how specific circuits function in the brain and provides clues for the treatment of conditions such as blindness, depression, addiction and dementia.

Who are the winners?

Deisseroth is a professor of bioengineering and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. He and a team developed tiny optical fibers that activated neurons in the brain and elicited specific behaviors for the first time, El Manira said.

Hegemann is a professor of experimental biophysics at Humboldt University in Berlin. He discovered a protein that converts light into an electrical signal, El Manira said.

Nagel is a professor of plant physiology at the University of Wurzburg in Germany. Alongside Hegemann, he discovered that the proteins contained a light-gated ion channel, which generates an electrical signal when exposed to light. El Manira described it as “the switch” that allows neuroscientists to activate the protein.

Why did the committee say they received the prize?

The discovery has enabled neuroscientists to link nerve cells in the brain to specific behaviors, said Anna Wedell a professor of clinical genetics at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and an adjunct member of the Nobel awarding committee.

“Before, we had an anatomical map of the brain,” Wedell said. “Now we can generate functional maps, and we can also understand how different cells speak to each other across the brain.” She described the discovery as heralding “a completely new dimension of understanding of the function of the brain.”

Who received the prize in 2025?

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi were recognized for their discoveries of peripheral immune tolerance, the mechanism that explains how our immune system prevents rogue cells from attacking the body’s own tissues and organs.

When will the other Nobel Prizes be announced?

The prize for physiology or medicine is the first of six Nobel Prizes that will be awarded this year. Each award recognizes groundbreaking contributions by an individual or organization in a specific field.

— The Nobel Prize in physics will be awarded Tuesday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Last year, John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis shared the prize for work that made the behaviors of the subatomic world observable in a system large enough to see with the naked eye.

— The Nobel Prize in chemistry will be awarded Wednesday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Last year, the prize went to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi for the development of molecular building blocks with spaces large enough for gases and other chemicals to flow through them.

— The Nobel Prize in literature will be awarded Thursday by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. Last year, Laszlo Krasznahorkai, a Hungarian novelist known for his dystopian themes and relentless prose, received the award.

— The Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo. Last year, María Corina Machado, who built a powerful social movement in Venezuela challenging the nation’s authoritarian president, won the award.

— Next week, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be awarded Monday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Last year, Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt were honored for research explaining the relationship between technological progress and sustained economic growth.

All of the prize announcements are streamed live by the Nobel Prize organization at youtube.com/@NobelPrize.