Browse wide-ranging research at the frontiers of neuroscience supported by Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute grants, awards, and training fellowships.
Projects
The rehab glove: Passive tactile stimulation for stroke rehabilitation
Project's stimulation method may provide a powerful tool to reduce disability after a stroke, and the wearable form factor allows users to receive intensive therapy during their normal daily routine
NeuroRoots, brain/computer interface solution for paralysis
Clinical translation of protein-engineered, matrix-mimetic nerve guidance conduits for peripheral nerve injury
Developing a protein-engineered nerve implant that mimics the biochemical and mechanical cues of native tissue in order to enhance the potential for neural regeneration following injury.
Weak supervision in medical multi-modal time series
The project aims to alleviate this bottleneck by developing a weak supervision system that optimally deals with time-series data and takes advantage of multiple data modalities.
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.
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.
Engineering nanoscale optical transducers of mechanical signals in the nervous system
Communication between cells in the nervous system regulates the senses, memory, and information processing. Using electrical and biochemical sensors, such as patch clamps, voltage-sensitive dyes, and calcium-sensitive dyes, scientists have mapped with extraordinary detail the interactions of the nervous system.
Characterizing large-scale neural circuit dynamics over long-term recordings
Neural circuits can exhibit remarkable stability (e.g., when supporting long-term memory) as well as flexibility (e.g., when supporting rapid learning).
The wearable ENG: A dizzy attack event monitor
PTS glove passive tactile stimulation for stroke rehab - Renewal
This team is developing wearable stimulation devices to improve limb function after stroke. The technology includes a tactile stimulation method, and the wireless, lightweight, and low-cost wearable computing devices to apply this stimulation.
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.
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.
The wearable ENG: a dizzy attack event monitor, Dizzy DX - Renewal
Extracochlear neurostimulation - Auricle
Sensorineural hearing loss is an increasingly prevalent condition that causes disability to over a third of US adults aged over 65. We are developing a breakthrough device to restore high-frequency hearing that preserves residual hearing through a reversible and minimally invasive approach.
A minimally-invasive intracranial pressure microsensor (mICP) for long-term, continuous ambulatory monitoring
Neuro-Omics Initiative (Phase 2)
Creating new tools to help neuroscientists bridge the study of genes and proteins operating in the brain to the study of brain circuits and systems, which could lead to a deeper understanding of brain function and disease.
Inference via Abstraction: A framework for efficient Bayesian cognition
We propose a novel framework for efficient Bayesian cognition called Inference via Abstraction (IvA), which learns to approximate complex world models with simpler abstractions that capture main dependencies, but leverage structure in the prior distribution for efficient inference. We instantiate IvA with a combination of probabilistic graphical models and deep neural networks.
Rapid brain-wide optogenetic screening with a noninvasive, dynamically programmable in vivo light source
Magnetic Recording and Stimulation of Neural Tissue
We propose a new magnetic sensor that is sensitive to picoTesla-scale fields, a localized magnetic stimulator with small form-factor, and a seamless integration of both systems for applications in experimental and clinical neuroscience.