Circuit Diagrams

Cell Type-specific Anterograde Circuit Mapping and Functional Control by Optimizing YFV-17D Transneuronal Systems Summary To elucidate the functional organization of brain circuitry we need to delineate neuronal connectivity and control the activity of neurons with specific connectivity. Both tasks have increasingly relied on transneuronal viral vectors. Anterograde transneuronal viral vectors, which spread from presynaptic neurons to the postsynaptic neurons, can reveal the neuronal projections and selectively target postsynaptic neurons.

PROJECT SUMMARY Identifying how neurons are connected to each other in the brain is an important and necessary step towards understanding how brain activity gives rise to behavior, and how it is perturbed by disease. Unfortunately, currently available methods have limitations that make it challenging to visualize these brain wiring diagrams. In addition, there is an urgent need for a method that will make it possible not only to unveil brain connectivity, but also to genetically modify the functional properties of neurons connected in a circuit.

Project Summary Cell signaling pathways in the brain are an essential part of a complex system regulating the activity and coordination of neuronal networks.

Project Summary The quest to understand the brain’s complex structure has become more challenging as the high degree of molecular heterogeneity among brain cells has become evident in recent years. Mapping the brain in detail will require incorporating large amounts of molecular information into high-resolution imaging. Current imaging methods are limited by the number of distinguishable detection channels, so greater degrees of multiplexing entail repeated cycles of stripping and reapplying probes.

PROJECT SUMMARY Brain function depends on forming and maintaining synaptic connections between neurons of specific types, yet systematic descriptions of cell-type connectivity and the molecules that instruct these relationships remain challenging because we lack some necessary tools. Traditional approaches for measuring synaptic connections and networks – such as whole-cell electrophysiology and anatomical reconstructions – sample only a few cells or small tissue volumes, do not readily scale to many animals or genotypes, and do not ascertain the molecular type and state of each cell.

PROJECT SUMMARY Single-cell technologies have revolutionized the characterization of mammalian brains allowing unbiased census of cell types and their transcriptomic and epigenomics signatures. However, the mapping of molecular signatures onto three-dimensional brain structures remains highly challenging since most single-cell methods can only analyze disassociated cells or nuclei. We propose to develop photonic-indexing sequencing (pi-seq) strategies for in situ spatial barcoding with single-cell resolution.

PROJECT SUMMARY A detailed and comprehensive census of central nervous system (CNS) cell types and states is essential to our understanding of the neural substrates of cognition and behavior.

Project abstract BRAIN pioneers are people who take on significant risk as participants in first-in-human or early neurotechnology studies for the sake of helping to further science.

Project Summary/Abstract The objective of “Brain Computer Interfaces and Disability: Developing an Inclusive Ethical Framework (BCI- DEF)” is to use structured vignettes, video-supported interviews, and a deliberative democracy approach to assess and analyze diverse, critical stakeholder perspectives about the benefits, risks, and ethical challenges of Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology. BCIs measure and interpret brain signals and interface with a device to allow users to perform a task, such as communication or movement.

Project Summary Neurotechnologies used to treat brain disorders and diseases can drastically change brain function and behavior, monitor brain activity, and collect and transmit personal health data. Industry-academia (IA) partnerships play a critical role in bringing neurotechnologies to market for public benefit. However, there are significant ethical issues that emerge from these partnerships, especially given the unique capacities of neurotechnologies.