Circuit Diagrams

Project Summary The visual system must constantly extract behaviorally relevant stimulus information from an abundance of irrelevant inputs from the environment, using cognitive phenomena such as attention and learning to guide this continuously adapting process. Understanding the mechanisms by which task-relevant information is extracted from the high-dimensional activity of neuronal populations will be vital to understanding the complex etiology of many neurological diseases, such as disorders of attention.

Project Summary – Restoring Sight to the Blind: Neural Imaging with Retinal Prostheses Retinal prostheses restore sight to the blind by electrically stimulating still viable cells in the retina. These devices consist of a microstimulator array attached to the retina that is driven by video input from a glasses-mounted camera. Retinal prostheses have been shown to restore basic visual functions such as the recognition of shapes and rudimentary navigation.

Project Summary Social deficits are common in psychiatric disorders and available treatments are limited. Our lack of basic knowledge on how the brain controls social behaviors makes it challenging to develop therapeutics for social deficits. For numerous animal species, social rank dictates many aspects of behavior, such as access to resources and resilience to stress. Individuals with higher social rank typically win more often during social conflicts (e.g. food competition) and show more agonistic behaviors; collectivity referred to as dominance behaviors.

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Determining the mechanisms by which the human brain generates cognition, perception, and emotion hinges upon quantifying the relationships between coordinated brain activity and behavior. NIH-funded brain mapping initiatives such as the Human Connectome Project (HCP) and the Adolescent Cognitive and Behavioral Development (ABCD) study, have accelerated the production of large brain connectivity (i.e. connectome) and behavioral datasets.

PROJECT SUMMARY WINCS International LLC, in partnership with Mayo Clinic, proposes to develop and demonstrate a highly innovative next-generation clinical instrument together with custom user-friendly display and analysis software. For the first time, the Multifunctional Apparatus for Voltammetry, Electrophysiology, and Neuromodulation (MAVEN) will offer wireless voltammetric sensing of multiple neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine, serotonin, and adenosine) at carbon-fiber microelectrodes.

Abstract The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Understanding its neural connections and molecular anatomy requires imaging technology that is capable of mapping the 3D nanoscale distribution of specific proteins in the context of brain ultrastructure. The currently best available option is correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), which combines the resolving power and global contrast of EM with the high molecular specificity of fluorescence microscopy.

Project Summary: EsperImage, a startup company out of Washington University (WUSTL), will develop high fidelity, wearable, optical technology that transcends limitations of both previous optical neuroimaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tools to provide naturalistic brain imaging in adults and children.

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neurological disorders affect many millions of people in the United States and throughout the world. Recent advances enable the development of adaptive neurotechnologies, powerful new technologies that interact with the nervous system to promote functional recovery. These technologies are inherently multidisciplinary: they involve neuroscience, biomedical engineering, electrical and computer science, signal processing, and clinical, ethical, and commercial domains. Very few people can function effectively across all these fields.

Project Summary / Abstract The methods of optogenetics enable light-induced, area-confined stimulation or inhibition of genetically targeted neurons, thereby bypassing key disadvantages of electrical approaches. As a result, optogenetics is now widely viewed as an essential tool in neuroscience research. The adoption of these methods by the community is rapidly increasing, in spite of the required use of an expensive, inconvenient collection of fiber optic cabling, ferrules/fixtures and external light sources to perform the experiments.

Project Summary / Abstract Understanding brain function is key to improving health care and advancing a number of scientific initiatives. The treatment of degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, and ALS is becoming increasingly important as the current US population ages and life expectancies increase. The costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias is estimated at over $200 billion in 2016 alone, not to mention the human devastation that these diseases incur.