Browse wide-ranging research at the frontiers of neuroscience supported by Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute grants, awards, and training fellowships.
Projects
Reprogramming organismal lifespan through modulation of neuropeptidergic circuits
Aging is the number one risk factor for debilitating diseases such as neurodegeneration. Can manipulation of neurons in the brain alter the body’s physiological state to extend lifespan? Neuropeptides are key modulators of short-term homeostasis such as feeding, temperature, and sleep.
Neuronal mechanism underlying spatial navigation in cephalopods
Cephalopods, including the cuttlefish, octopus, and squid, possess one of the most advanced nervous systems among invertebrates. With their advanced nervous systems, cephalopods are able to perform sophisticated behaviors such as navigating in open water to search for food. Yet how their nervous systems accomplish spatial navigation remains completely unknown.
Dissecting curious exploration with self-supervised machine learning
What are the principles that guide curiosity-based exploration? What is the neural circuitry that implements curiosity? How can insights related to the phenomenon of curiosity improve the education and capabilities of humans and artificially intelligent agents? To address these questions, Isaac Kauvar will take an interdisciplinary approach — positioned at the intersection of computer science, neuroscience, and psychology.
Wearable stimulation for sensorimotor rehabilitation
Vibrotactile stimulation provides powerful somatosensory and proprioceptive input to the nervous system.
The role of gene complexity in the evolution and function of nervous systems
Many of the largest, most complex genes in the genome are enriched in the brain and are frequently mutated or misregulated in neurological diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorders, and Rett syndrome.
Genetic access of cell types using viral vectors
Multicellular organisms consist of numerous cell types with specialized biological functions. To understand such complex biological systems, genetic access to each cell type is needed for functional analysis and manipulations.
Mechanisms of myelin membrane expansion
Myelin is the protective covering that surrounds nerve fibers to accelerate communication between different parts of the nervous system. Damage to myelin occurs in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, which compromises nerve signaling and impairs motor and cognitive function.
Curiosity-driven social learning and interaction in artificial agents and humans
In order to reach the level of intelligence that humans possess, artificial agents need to be able to autonomously interact with other agents and humans and build rich models of how other minds work as a result of these interactions.
Restoring multi-limb motion in people with paralysis via brain-computer interface
Intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) can restore lost communication and motor function for people with severe speech and motor impairment due to neurological injury or disease. iBCIs measure neural activity from the brain, decode this activity into control signals, and use these signals to guide prosthetic devices such as computer cursors and prosthetic arms.
Assessing the generalizability of individual brain models
Cognitive neuroscience has traditionally focused on identifying the neural basis of psychological traits or state effects across large samples of participants. Recently, researchers have pushed towards providing more precise estimates of individual functional organization to better understand both psychological constructs as well as their supporting neural mechanisms.
Next-generation brain imaging in freely moving animals
Calcium imaging in freely behaving animals allows for the tracking of neuronal activity under approximately normal behavioral conditions. However, the slow response time of calcium imaging inhibits high resolution voltage and temporal measurements. To address this issue, modern molecular tools have been developed to optically report the high-speed dynamics of neurons more accurately.
Optogenetic screening of the gut-brain axis via an internal light source
The gut-brain axis is implicated in many essential physiological and psychological functions, ranging from feeding, emotion, motivation, to memory. As a critical component of the gut-brain axis, vagal sensory neurons exhibit distinct projection patterns to target specific visceral organs.
Structural analysis of chloride channel CLC-2
Membrane transport proteins are essential for life. They transport essential nutrients and minerals across the membrane barrier that surrounds each cell in the human body. This transport is necessary for every living process – from eating and breathing to learning and doing daily work.