| Start Date: | 5/10/2017 | Start Time: | 4:00 PM |
| End Date: | 5/10/2017 | End Time: | 5:30 PM |
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Event Description
BIOMED Seminar
Title:
Optogenetic Brain Interfaces
Speaker:
Ramin Pashaie, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Details:
Our brain is a large network of interconnected neurons where each cell functions as a nonlinear processing element. Unraveling the mysteries of information processing in the complex networks of the brain requires versatile neurostimulation and imaging techniques. Optogenetics is a new stimulation method which allows the activity of neurons to be modulated by light.
For this purpose, specific cell-types of interest are genetically targeted to produce light-sensitive proteins. Once these proteins are expressed, neural activity can be controlled by exposing the cells to light. Optogenetics provides a unique combination of features, including multimodal control over neural function and genetic targeting of specific cell-types. These versatile features are highly suitable for the study of the circuitry in psychiatric and neurological disorders. The advent of optogenetics was followed by many research projects which aimed to produce new instrumentation for light delivery or control of light distribution within the brain as well as neuroimaging systems which are necessary to monitor the induced activity.
In this presentation, I will summarize our recent endeavors in developing technologies for optogenetic experiments and brain machine interface applications.
Biosketch:
Dr. Ramin Pashaie is an associate professor of electrical engineering at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his PhD in electrical and systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, in December 2007, under supervision of Professor Nabil H. Farhat. His thesis was focused on understanding the mechanisms of information processing in complex networks of the cortex.
After earning his PhD, Dr. Pashaie joined Prof. Karl A. Deisseroth lab as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the bioengineering department at Stanford University. During his Postdoctoral training, he concentrated on technology development for optical modulation of neural activity using the tools of photonics and molecular genetics. In September 2009, he joined the Department of electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, as a faculty member and the Director of the Bio-Inspired Sciences and Technology Laboratory (BIST-LAB), where the research is about optical interrogation of the dynamics of large scale neural networks mostly in the brain cortical regions. In particular, his current research interests include implementation of neuroprosthetic devices and optoelectronic neuroimaging instrumentation for brain machine interface applications.
Dr. Pashaie is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Career Award in 2015 and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Award in 2013 and 2015. |
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Location:
Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building (PISB), Room 120, located on the northeast corner of 33rd and Chestnut Streets. |
Audience:
Undergraduate StudentsGraduate StudentsFacultyStaff |
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