Patent ID: 8910638

Claim:
A method which comprises, in combination, the steps of: (a) inserting one or more arrays of optical probes into a mammalian brain, or positioning the one or more arrays adjacent to the brain; (b) using the arrays to optically silence all of a region of the brain; (c) taking measurements using a sensor to determine whether optically silencing all of the region produces a specified outcome; (d) if the specified outcome is observed, using at least some of the arrays to optically silence subregions of that region, one subregion at a time; (e) for each particular subregion in that set, taking measurements to determine whether optically silencing that particular subregion produces the specified outcome; and (f) repeating the preceding two steps iteratively for progressively smaller subdivisions; wherein the steps listed above occur in a chronological order, which chronological order may be the same or different than the order in which listed above.