Isacoff is a world leader in the study of the chemical and electrical signaling of neurons and the creation of optical neurotechnologies to observe and remotely control activity in brain cells. He and his collaborators have discovered how experience alters brain activity to sharpen decision making, how a neuromodulatory mechanism allows the brain to ignore repetitive stimuli — essential to our ability to focus attention — and have pioneered a chemical-genetic approach to treat blindness. Innovations emerging from the Isacoff Lab also enable precise mapping of the functional strength and plasticity of the neural connections that are responsible for our cognitive abilities. These tools are being adapted to a new class of brain-machine interface (BMI) being developed by Isacoff and colleagues to promote healthy patterns of neuronal activity or provide direct communication from the brain to external devices.