Potent optogenetic inhibition of behavior with anion channelrhodopsins

Optogenetics employs light exposure to manipulate physiology in genetically modified organisms. There are abundant tools for optogenetic excitation, but the limitations of current photo-inhibitors present an obstacle to demonstrating the necessity of neuronal circuits. Here we show that anion channelrhodopsins can be used to specifically and rapidly inhibit neural systems involved in Drosophila locomotion, wing expansion, memory retrieval and gustation, demonstrating their broad utility to the circuit analysis of behavior.