Browse wide-ranging research at the frontiers of neuroscience supported by Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute grants, awards, and training fellowships.
Projects
At-home Stroke Rehabilitation System based on Augmented Reality and Brain Computer Interface Paradigm
This team aims to revolutionize future stroke treatment both in clinics and at home by combining a brain-computer interface and augmented reality (AR) into a single rehabilitation platform.
Silent Speech Decoding Using Flexible Electronics and Artificial Intelligence
This team aims to advance augmentative and alternative communication technology for people with communication disorders and enable new forms of human-computer interaction by combining novel materials science with modern machine learning.
The Synaptic Organization of Dendrites
Tracking Parkinson’s Disease with Transformer Models of Everyday Looking Behaviors
Structural and mechanistic analysis of the protein-protein interface between ABCA1 and ApoE as a potential therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s Disease
We propose a new line of research whose goal is to examine the druggability of a protein-protein interface involving ApoE, an apolipoprotein whose gene variants represent the strongest genetic risk factor for AD.
Dissecting mechanisms of gut-brain communication in Parkinson’s Disease
People with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) have different types of bacteria in their guts compared to people without neurological diseases. We will study which gut bacteria for people with PD to gain a better understanding of how gut bacteria contribute to inflammation in the body and in the brain or people with this condition.
Novel ketone-derived anticonvulsant agents for the treatment of childhood refractory epilepsy
We propose to apply mass spectrometry techniques to measure BHB-Phe and other KD metabolites in children undergoing KD for refractory epilepsy at Stanford. Further, in a mouse model of refractory genetic epilepsy, we will compare targeted BHB-Phe treatment to full KD treatment using transcriptomics, EEG assessment of seizures and cognitive testing.
Life-long, minimally invasive, and multiplex transcriptional profiling of the cerebellum
Why do all our brains mature and age in different ways, leading to different cognitive and behavioral outcomes? We envision a novel method that “copies” the information from the RNAs made by the neurons to sensor RNAs we artificially introduce into live animals.
Use of gut-brain electrophysiology to study interoception in eating disorders
In this study, we aim to (i) perform a feasibility study to determine the acceptance and feasibility of performing such recordings in the AN and ARFID eating disorders population and (ii) test the hypothesis that the electrophysiologic monitoring of the brain and stomach is associated with a clinically validated behavioral measure of interoception involving water distention of the stomach.
In vivo selection for gene mutations that counteract photoreceptor degeneration
Massively parallel microwire arrays for deep brain stimulation
Brain mechanisms of spatial reasoning in mathematics
Creating an advanced transgenic animal model of autism
Autism is a highly genetic developmental brain disorder which is characterized by social impairments. Autism affects 1 in 68 US children, with an annual cost in the US of $250 billion dollars. Unfortunately, the basic biology of autism remains poorly understood.
A novel PET radioligand to identify microglial inflammation in Alzheimer's disease
Identification of sex hormone interacting proteins
Enabling faster and more responsive voltage imaging through computational biophysics
TrkA-ing the chronic pain
Remote and localized neural activation using sonomagnetic stimulation
A novel sigma-1 receptor PET radioligand as a probe of ketamine’s rapid therapeutic action in disorders of human brain and behavior: Pilot study
The impact of early medial temporal lobe Tau in human cognitive aging
Ultrasonic neural control and neuroimaging in the awake, mobile, and behaving small rodent
We propose to design a lightweight, wearable system for integrated ultrasonic drug uncaging and fUS neuroimaging to noninvasively pharmacologically modulate a brain target and then image the resultant changes in neural activity without significant motion limitations.
Sensory processing in a pre-seizure state
Genetic tools to determine circuit-specific roles of myelination
These tools will enable us to dissect how myelin contributes to specific brain circuits and types of neurons, bringing us closer to a holistic understanding of how cells in the brain collaborate to build a functional nervous system.
Injectable photovoltaics for a wireless, gliosis-free neural stimulation interface
We believe our research has the potential of generating transformative results for both neuroscience research and neurological applications, also offering strategies to manipulate key intracellular pathways to prevent gliosis in therapeutic neural implants.