Northwestern researchers have developed a wireless device that uses patterns of light to send information directly to the brain in mice, according to a study published in the Nature Neuroscience journal Dec. 8. The technology was primarily designed as a research tool for basic neuroscience studies in small animals like mice. Through optogenetics, a technique that genetically modifies specific neurons to respond to light, Rogers said researchers can directly link patterns of neural activity to behavior. By controlling the LEDs remotely, Wu said the device breaks from the “conventional approach” in neuroscience research. Wu said the patterns functioned as information, training the mice to recognize specific sequences and make decisions in exchange for a reward.