Raquel Comaposada Baro

Introduction Despite the short history of optogenetics, optical manipulation of neuronal activity has become an indispensable tool in the studies for functional analysis of brain circuits. The increasing needs for a more precise temporal and spatial manipulation of the neurons along with the untapped potentials of optogenetics have been driving forces in expanding the repertoire of the optogenetic toolbox.

Abstract The inadequate state of current pain treatments, the chronic nature of particularly neuropathic pain, and the high impact on quality of life render chronic pain conditions relevant for gene therapy. Here, we describe the development and application of self-assembling dimeric peptide inhibitors of the pain-associated scaffolding protein PICK1 (protein interacting with C-kinase 1) delivered by adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors.