Browse wide-ranging research at the frontiers of neuroscience supported by Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute grants, awards, and training fellowships.
Projects
High-speed force probes for deconstructing the biophysics of mechanotransduction
The purpose of this collaborative project is to study neuronal mechanisms associated with social stress. In particular we will test whether the energy producing systems, known as mitochondria, in a specific set of brain cells are important to confer resilience to stressful stimuli. This research may lead to treatments of stress and anxiety disorders.
High-speed nanomechanical probing of auditory mechano-sensitive cells
Our ability to detect and interpret sounds relies on specialized sensory cells within the snail-shaped hearing organ of the inner ear—the cochlea. These hair cells sense physical movement and then convert that mechanical stimulus into a biological signal that we perceive as sound. These mechano-sensory cells perform this task within microseconds and can do so for sub-nanomechanical stimuli.
Quantitative imaging for multi-scale modeling of neurological diseases
My proposed visit to the Van De Ville lab is centered on the idea to expand our methods beyond brain tumors to other neurological diseases using the Van De Ville lab’s expertise in neuro-imaging. Imaging genomics has been focused mainly on oncology; however, other neurological diseases can be studied in the same way.
Improve reproducibility and transparency in the field of neuroimaging by applying nonparametricstatistical methods and writing R packages.
Brain data analyses involves many steps and every step is prone to errors and uncertainties. Ignoring uncertainties can potentially leading to overconfident conclusions. To improve reproducibility it is important to propagate errors throughout the anlaysis.
Biologically plausible neural algorithms for learning structured sequences
Humans naturally learn to generate and process complicated sequential patterns. For example, a concert pianist can learn an enormous repertoire of memorized music. In neuroscience, it is widely thought that synaptic plasticity – the process by which the connections between neurons change response to experience – underlies such remarkable behavior.
New tools, analytic methods and conceptual approaches for harnessing plasticity in the human brain
The neural prosthetics translational laboratory
StrokeCog
StrokeCog is focused on cognitive problems after stroke. The team leads a study aimed at identifying if neuroinflammation plays an important role in the development of post-stroke cognitive decline.
Answering research questions in neural control through crowdsourced challenges
Human movement results from the coordination of muscles, tendons, joints, and other physiological elements.
Novel haptic interfaces for studying human perception in virtual environments
Real-time biosensors for measuring multiple neuromodulators
The goal of the project is to create a transformative sensor technology to measure complex forms of chemical communication in the living brain, in real time.
Modelling the Pupil Light Reflex for Non-Image Forming Vision
Although you’re aware of the light that you see, light also affects us in ways that you might not appreciate. These so called “non-image forming” (NIF) pathways were recently discovered, they start in the human eye before projecting to over a dozen brain regions. They modulate aspects of human function including our daily rhythms, our sleep patterns, the way we feel and the way we think.
Controlling schistosomiasis via CRISPR/CAS9-mediated gene drive
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease second only to malaria in its human health and economic impact on tropical nations.
Neurodevelopment Initiative
Elucidating the development of the infant’s brain structure & function.
NeuroPlant Initiative
The NeuroPlant Initiative aims to leverage a botanical armamentarium to manipulate the brain — by building a pipeline to explore chemicals synthesized in plants as potential new treatments for neurological disease and as a window into the chemistry of the brain.