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Photoreceptor and optogenetics research

Photoreceptor and optogenetics research is a research topic within Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. Science Explorer counts 62k research works in it since 1950. 19.7% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the application of optogenetics in neuroscience and biophysics research, particularly the use of microbial rhodopsins such as Channelrhodopsin for precise control and manipulation of neural activity. It covers topics such as neural stimulation, photocycle dynamics, and in vivo control of neural circuitry using light-sensitive proteins. The research also explores the molecular mechanisms and biophysical principles underlying optogenetic tools.

  • Optogenetics
  • Channelrhodopsin
  • Neural Control
  • Microbial Rhodopsins
  • Neuronal Stimulation
  • Photocycle Dynamics
  • Neural Circuitry
  • Proton Pump
  • Sensory Rhodopsin
  • In Vivo Control
Research works
62k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
12k
per year above
Top-10% rate
19.7%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+9%
the tick is no change

Which countries lead Photoreceptor and optogenetics research research?

By volume, the United States and China publish the most (1.6k and 1.5k works in 2022–2025).

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 1.6k works
  2. 2 China 1.5k works
  3. 3 Germany 505 works
  4. 4 Japan 496 works
  5. 5 United Kingdom 276 works
  6. 6 India 267 works
  7. 7 Russia 265 works
  8. 8 France 260 works
  9. 9 Italy 218 works
  10. 10 South Korea 209 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 28.8%China: 26.6%Germany: 9.0%Japan: 8.9%6 others listed: 26.7%29%largest
United States1,608 · 28.8%China1,486 · 26.6%Germany505 · 9.0%Japan496 · 8.9%6 others listed1,495 · 26.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Photoreceptor and optogenetics research research?

By volume in 2022–2025, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique publishes the most Photoreceptor and optogenetics research research, followed by Chinese Academy of Sciences and The University of Tokyo.

Who are the leading researchers in Photoreceptor and optogenetics research?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Photoreceptor and optogenetics research include Michaël Grätzel, A. M. Litke and Ben Zhong Tang.

  1. 1 Michaël Grätzel Switzerland 13k citations
  2. 2 A. M. Litke United States 7.4k citations
  3. 3 Ben Zhong Tang Hong Kong 7k citations
  4. 4 Kenji Watanabe Japan 6.4k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

Where is Photoreceptor and optogenetics research research done?

The largest centres of Photoreceptor and optogenetics research research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Tokyo (Japan) and Moscow (Russia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Göttingen and Genoa.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 293 works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 165 works
  3. 3 Tokyo Japan 129 works
  4. 4 Moscow Russia 124 works
  5. 5 Paris France 121 works
  6. 6 Seoul South Korea 101 works
  7. 7 Hangzhou China 80 works
  8. 8 New York United States 78 works
  9. 9 Nanjing China 74 works
  10. 10 London United Kingdom 72 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. GöttingenDE · 21.2 works6.8×
  2. GenoaIT · 26.2 works6.7×
← less than its size predictsmore →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Photoreceptor and optogenetics research than the world average.

See Photoreceptor and optogenetics research on the map

Where is the best place to study Photoreceptor and optogenetics research?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Würzburg, Northeast Normal University and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 32.22%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →University of Würzburg: 14, 35.3%Northeast Normal University: 12, 46.6%University of Chinese Academy of Sciences: 32, 30.5%University of the West of England: 10, 38.3%East China Normal University: 14, 35.6%Weizmann Institute of Science: 11, 28.0%Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology: 10, 12.3%University of Groningen: 21, 26.9%Stanford University: 28, 38.8%Shenzhen University: 16, 29.9%Northeast Normal Uni…University of the We…University of WürzburgUniversity of Chines…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 University of WürzburgGermany 58.835.3%9.1×14 +59.6%
2 Northeast Normal UniversityChina 57.246.6%7.9×12 +29.5%
3 University of Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 55.430.5%2.9×32 +308.2%
4 University of the West of EnglandUnited Kingdom 53.038.3%13.7×10 -64.8%
5 East China Normal UniversityChina 52.835.6%4.2×14 +241.9%
6 Weizmann Institute of ScienceIsrael 51.828.0%11.2×11 +5.2%
7 Moscow Institute of Physics and TechnologyRussia 49.912.3%11.0×10 +193.0%
8 University of GroningenNetherlands 49.826.9%6.3×21 +30.5%
9 Stanford UniversityUnited States 49.138.8%3.5×28 -7.4%
10 Shenzhen UniversityChina 49.129.9%3.2×16 +320.8%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Photoreceptor and optogenetics research research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 9% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2021. The fastest-growing topics are Photoreceptor and optogenetics research.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.