Three scientists have won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how to turn individual brain cells on and off. Their groundbreaking work helps researchers better understand how the human brain functions.
The winners are American scientist Karl Deisseroth, 54, from Stanford University in California, and German researchers Peter Hegemann, 71, from Humboldt University in Berlin, and Georg Nagel, 73, from the University of Würzburg. Together, they conducted research into light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control the activity of nerve cells.
The Nobel committee praised their work, noting that the method is now used in laboratories around the world to reveal the brain's mysteries. By giving scientists control over specific nerve cells, their discoveries have provided powerful new ways to study complex brain activity.
The prize was announced on Monday at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, marking the start of Nobel Prize week. The three laureates will share the prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor, which is worth about $1.2 million.