Research Projects

PROJECT SUMMARY The maintenance and function of the nervous system depends on cell-cell interactions among neuronal and non-neuronal cell populations, which occur through physically binding cell membrane surface or secreted proteins, triggering signaling cascades that activate cell-type gene regulatory programs. The cell-cell interactome responds and regulates the microenvironment which is altered in physiological processes such as brain development and aging, or during the onset and progression of different neuropsychiatric disorders.

Project Summary/Abstract Cloud-based analyses and easily shared data formats are revolutionizing neuroimaging. We will develop software to fill gaps created by these two trends. We will develop and refine software to visualize and analyze the data from the BRAIN Initiative.

Electrocortical stimulation (ECS) has been used for functional mapping for many decades to identify brain areas that are “critical” for speech and language (i.e., that impair function when stimulated) prior to epilepsy or tumor surgery. It also is used to modulate neural activity, e.g., in directly treating epilepsy or pain. However, despite its long history of clinical use, the precise mechanisms of ECS are poorly understood, both on neuronal and network scales.

Project Summary Many advances in modern neuroscience rely on electrophysiological recordings of large neural populations (e.g. many hundreds of cells) or high-resolution measurements of animal behavior (e.g. from video). These datasets have unlocked a wide range of genuinely transformational scientific opportunities, as they enable us to draw reliable statistical inferences about individual animal subjects at precisely encapsulated moments in time. However, these statistical models are complex and non-trivial to implement in computer software.

Project Summary Categorizing individual neurons into different groups, or cell types, is a classical approach to studying the nervous system. With increasingly more tools being invented to observe the neurons, new criteria were created to characterize different aspects, or modalities, of the cells. While these modality-specific categorizations have enabled in-depth knowledge in neuroscience, the inconsistencies across different criteria leave data integration across modalities technically difficult.

Project Summary/Abstract Neural representations supporting spatial and episodic learning form, and transform rapidly in the mammalian hippocampus. Individual hippocampal pyramidal cells each fire at a specific location in an environment and together these place cells provide a striking substrate for a cognitive map. A critical step in achieving a mechanistic understanding of how place cell dynamics support hippocampal learning and memory is to be able to re-create endogenous neuronal representations experimentally, and test their behavioral relevance.

Abstract In response to the BRAIN Initiative “Integration and Analysis of BRAIN Initiative Data” FOA, we propose further developing nTracer2, a cloud-based platform for brain image visualization and neuron tracing in the web browser.

PROJECT SUMMARY The insular cortex (IC) is a multimodal hub that integrates interoceptive and exteroceptive information to control diverse aspects of animal behaviors related to cognition, emotion, and motivation. Among other functions, the IC receives information regarding an animal’s metabolic states and drives motivation and valence-specific behaviors. However, our understanding of the neuronal substrates and circuit principles underlying IC function is still in its infancy.

Cortical assembly formation through excitatory/inhibitory circuit plasticity. Project Summary Throughout the brain, sensory information is thought to be represented by the joint activity of neurons that form functionally connected assemblies. A long-standing premise is that assemblies are formed during sensory learn- ing by strengthening the excitatory connections between co-active neurons. However, the role of inhibition in this process has yet to be fully elucidated.

Project Summary / Abstract Although BRAIN 2.0 called for the BRAIN Initiative to “prioritize diversity and inclusion as a fundamental pillar,” research with the human neuroimaging technologies being developed by BRAIN Initiative continues to rely on non-representative convenience samples.