Tools and Techniques for Electrical and Optical Stimulation and Recording from the Nervous System

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The nervous system is the essence of consciousness, and is how we interact with everything around us. It is astonishing in its complexity and elegance, and although scientists have been studying it for centuries, there is much that we do not know about the nervous system. One reason this knowledge is critical is because to fix something, one has to understand it. Thus, when something goes wrong with the nervous system – be it physical injury to nerves, or mental health problems that may be outwardly invisible – the medical community needs to understand the underlying cause to optimally treat it. Scientists studying the nervous system frequently use animal models because they allow a simplified and focused approach. This needs specialized tools and techniques to measure from and manipulate the nervous system. My research program focuses on designing, implementing and testing electronic and optical devices and methods for studying the nervous system in commonly used small animal models like rats and mice.******This application focuses on technology development for three areas: regeneration of nerves after injury, optical measurement of signals from deep inside the brain and separating artifacts from the measured optical signals. It has been known for some time that applying electrical stimulation to a nerve recovering from injury can improve its outcome. However, how or why this works is unknown, and there are no clear guidelines about what kind of stimulation to apply, when, and how long to apply it for. My group is creating implantable devices that can stimulate and also monitor the nerve's recovery, a tool that can be used by our neurosurgeon collaborators for their studies into nerve recovery. The second and third aims focus on brain functions that occur deep beneath its surface such as the fine control of motor activity and the response to stress. Optical tools for studying the brain have several advantages, but are very difficult to apply to deep brain areas and are susceptible to undesirable artifacts. We will create optical tools for observing and manipulating hard to access deep brain areas and design techniques to reduce the effects of artifacts. Our clinician-scientist collaborators can use such technologies for their studies into designing better treatments for motor diseases like Parkinson's disease and tremor, and for trying to understand why most people can recover quickly from a stressful event, while some suffer from chronic adverse effects.******With the work proposed, graduate and undergraduate students will gain interdisciplinary skills in electronics, optics, signal processing, and biology, enabling them to bridge gaps between scientists and engineers. New measurement and instrumentation technologies will be created. These will lead to a better understanding of brain function, necessary for optimal treatments to improve the quality of life of those suffering from diseases of the nervous system.***