Nonhuman Primate Optogenetics: Current Status and Future Prospects

Nonhuman primates (NHPs) have widely and crucially been utilized as model animals for understanding various higher brain functions and neurological disorders since their behavioral actions mimic both normal and disease states in humans. To know about how such behaviors emerge from the functions and dysfunctions of complex neural networks, it is essential to define the role of a particular pathway or neuron-type constituting these networks. Optogenetics is a potential technique that enables analyses of network functions. However, because of the large size of the NHP brain and the difficulty in creating genetically modified animal models, this technique is currently still hard to apply effectively and efficiently to NHP neuroscience. In this article, we focus on the issues that should be overcome for the development of NHP optogenetics, with special reference to the gene introduction strategy. We review the recent breakthroughs that have been made in NHP optogenetics to address these issues and discuss future prospects regarding more effective and efficient approaches to successful optogenetic manipulation in NHPs.