Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to trio for technique to decode mysteries of the brain

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three scientists – Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel – for their work developing a technique to decode the inner workings of the brain.

This method – known as optogenetics – acts as a “light-sensitive switch”, allowing scientists to potentially “map which cells are responsible for which function” in the brain, said Nobel Prize committee member Anna Wedell, who announced the prestigious honor in Sweden on Monday.

The German duo Hegemann and Nagel discovered a protein found in algae, known as canalrhodopsin, before American scientist Deisseroth “transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells,” the committee said in a statement. This work “laid the foundation for a new era in neuroscience,” the committee added.

Using this method, researchers can illuminate the neural circuits that govern “specific memories, feelings, and behaviors relevant to neurological and psychiatric disorders.”

David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at the Clarivate Institute for Scientific Information, said the award highlights “the profound impact of a field that has fundamentally changed the way scientists understand the brain and nervous system.”

“The Nobel Committee’s recognition highlights the extraordinary influence of this work, which transformed neuroscience by allowing researchers to use light to precisely control and study neuronal activity,” Pendlebury said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.