Minnesota NeuroSpin Initiative Seminar Series: Prof. Aviad Hai
Novel Wireless Bioelectromagnetic Agents: towards Whole-Brain Readouts of the Mammalian Nervous System with minimal invasiveness
There is currently a concerted effort to develop the necessary technologies to record and stimulate neural activity across the entire volume of the mammalian brain. Recent engineering advancements have propelled electrode- and optical-based devices, achieving nanometer scale spatial resolution and impressive signal-to-noise ratio and temporal response. However, these probes usually require a tethered connection and provide access to relatively small areas in the nervous system. Developing modalities for whole-brain direct recording and stimulation of neural signals, will allow neuroscientists and neurologists to study and treat the brain network directly and as a whole, and will surely elevate brain science and medicine to new heights. I will describe the development of wireless, implantable electronic probes that are able to transduce electromagnetic fields in the brain, as well as the application of molecular agents for large volume in vivo measurements of neurotransmitter dynamics in live mammals. These strategies pave the way towards functional studies of neural activity across wide brain regions with molecular and electrophysiological specificity.