Optogenetics introduces light-sensitive proteins into target cells, enabling precise optical control of membrane potential under specific illumination. This approach allows millisecond-scale manipulation of individual cells or neural circuits, providing a powerful tool for studying neural circuit function, disease mechanisms, and drug effects. Applications include dissecting circuit–behavior relationships in neuroscience, investigating neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, and modeling cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias.

Optogenetics experiments often combine widefield fluorescence, two-photon microscopy, or fiber-optic stimulation platforms. These studies require spatially precise targeting of cells or circuits while dynamically capturing rapid electrical activity, imposing extremely high demands on both spatial and temporal resolution of imaging systems.