Abstract: From nanoscale synapses up to centimeter-sized brain regions, complex computations occur at every spatial scale in the mammalian brain. In networks of thousands of neurons, cellular and subcellular computations govern emergent properties such as behavior, perception, and learning. Therefore, a mechanistic understanding of animal cognition requires combining multiple modalities for monitoring neural activity across spatial scales. Here, I will discuss our efforts to develop thin-film, flexible, and transparent neural interfaces with arrays of micro- and nano-scale electrodes tailored to map activity from the cortical surface. In mouse somatosensory cortex, we use surface grids to record both local field potentials and single-unit activity from awake animals during whisker touch. Simultaneously, we use silicon probe recordings or cellular-scale two-photon imaging to capture population-level activity across the cortical depth. This innovative three-dimensional mapping allows us to dissect circuit-level activity propagating across sensory cortex. Our initial results suggest that multiple brain regions work in concert to drive traveling waves of activity with a strong subcellular component near the cortical surface following sensory stimulation. By linking circuit activity across brain spatial scales, our technologies are poised to provide new insights into how network-level computations and sensory perception emerge from subcellular dynamics.

Bio: Dr. Daniel L. Gonzales, is a HHMI Hanna Gray postdoctoral fellow in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. He currently works with Dr. Krishna Jayant in the Nano-Neurotechnology Laboratory in collaboration with Dr. Scott Pluta in the Department of Biological Sciences developing tools to probe neural activity in awake, behaving animals. He received his PhD in Applied Physics from Rice University, where he worked with Dr. Jacob Robinson to integrate bioelectronics and microfluidics to study millimeter-sized model organisms. He is also a first-generation college student and received his BS in Physics from Angelo State University.           

~BME Faculty Host: Dr. Krishna Jayant ~v

This seminar will also be available via Zoom: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/95150439811?pwd=a3hOK0o0bmpkS3poTVBCbVhDNU9FZz09