Category: News

UWIN’s Washington Research Foundation Innovation Undergraduate Fellowships in Neuroengineering provide support for undergraduate students whose research relates to both neuroscience and quantitative approaches in math, computer science, or engineering. In her UWIN project, Shivalika proposes to analyze the functional changes that occur as a result of stroke in the sensorimotor cortex of non-human primates (NHPs) and correlate the results with anatomical analyses previously done in the lab. This project supports the lab’s efforts to understand neural networks, their roles in plasticity, and how these networks naturally respond to injury. As past research in the lab suggests, there is great potential to use neural stimulation and coherence as a metric to modulate plasticity and develop a therapy for stroke. Knowledge of both the anatomical and physiological effects of ischemia on the cortex of an NHP is essential to taking the next step: using stimulation (optogenetic and electrical) to rewire the neural circuit around the injury towards functional recovery, making this project a necessity.

We had a hard-working and dedicated team for the baking competition. They made a Pyramidal Neuron with NeuN staining of opsin expression limited to soma incorporating a holiday theme. Note the figure caption of the cake!
Watch this video for behind the scenes efforts:

The undergraduate Program in Neural Computation and Engineering has been designed to bring together students majoring both in biological and mathematical sciences. This two-year program will help students to acquire or deepen the knowledge and skills required to integrate mathematical approaches into a study of the nervous system, and to develop biologically motivated and grounded models of brain function. Mona is joining Max Weil another undergraduate student in the lab who is enrolling in this program.

Four projects from our lab were presented by Devon Griggs, Karam Khateeb, Zach Ip and Julien Bloch at the Society for Neuroscience meeting this year. The abstracts can be found at the links below:

J. Bloch, E. Shea-Brown, A. Yazdan-Shahmorad, “A computational model of neural connectivity dynamics in response to optogenetic stimulation of non-human primate sensorimotor cortex“, The 49th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, October 19-23, Chicago, IL, USA.
K. Khateeb, Z. Yao, D. J. Griggs, S. Song, V. Kharazia, R. Wang, A. Yazdan-Shahmorad, “A practical method for inducing focal ischemic stroke in non-human primate cortex“, The 49th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, October 19-23, Chicago, IL, USA.
D. J. Griggs, W. K. S. Ojemann, K. Khateeb, M. Chu, A. Yazdan-Shahmorad, “Demonstration of an optimized, large-scale optogenetic interface for non-human primates”, The 49th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, October 19-23, 2019, Chicago, IL, USA.
Z. Ip,G. Rabiller, J.W. He, Z. Yao, Y. Akamatsu, Y. Nishijima, J. Liu,  and A. Yazdan-Shahmorad, “Changes in cortico-hippocampal functional networks as a result of stroke induced diaschisis”,  The 49th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience,  October 19-23, 2019, Chicago, IL, USA.

Devon Griggs was selected as one of the two winners for the BlackRock Society for Neuroscience (SfN) travel award among more than hundred applicants for his work on Large-scale optogenetic interfaces. He was invited to give a talk at the BlackRock Electrophysiology Lounge on his project.

More detailed information on Devon’s work and abstract at this year’s SfN can be found here:

D. J. Griggs, W. K. S. Ojemann, K. Khateeb, M. Chu, A. Yazdan-Shahmorad, “Demonstration of an optimized, large-scale optogenetic interface for non-human primates”, The 49th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, October 19-23, 2019, Chicago, IL, USA.

D. J. Griggs, K. Khateeb, S. Philips, J. W. Chan, W.K.S. Ojemann, A. Yazdan-Shahmorad, “Optimized large-scale optogenetic interface for non-human primates“, SPIE BIOS, 2019, Feb 7-12, San Francisco, California, USA.

This summer we hosted a South Kitsap School District high school science instructor, Bill Conley, in conjunction with the Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) Research Experiences for Teachers. The program includes curriculum development through CNT as well as in-lab time with a researcher and their team. Bill received Master of Arts in Teaching and Science Education from Western Governors University and Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Wright State University.

Bill took on a project to consolidate and streamline a wireless in-cage training and reward system for non-human primates. Devon Griggs, a PhD student in the lab, gave Bill a hand with interface design and all around support. A team of graduate (Devin Griggs and Julien Bloch) and undergraduate (Shivalika Chavan and Kali Coubrough) students had already developed custom software that could be broadcast to an iPad through WiFi. Bill devised a physical framework that can securely hold the iPad to the caging so it is accessible to the animals and incorporated a reward system. When testing runs of the iPad game are started, correct choices trigger a positive tone as well as a rotation of a small reservoir which dispenses a treats into the cage’s feeder box. The monkey is able to collect the treats in time to play the next round of the game.