BRF newsletter 062124 pages (1) - Flipbook - Page 7
2024 Scienti昀椀c Innovations Award Grantees
Hillel Adesnik, Ph.D.
University of
California, Berkeley
Project Title: All
Optically Probing
the Neural Codes
of Perception in the
PrimateBrain
Keywords:
Neuroscience, Sensory
Perception, Cortex,
Primate, Optogenetics
How pa琀琀erns of
action potentials in space and time give rise to sensory
experience is among the most enduring mysteries of biology.
Despite decades of experiments correlating brain activity
pa琀琀erns with di昀昀erent aspects of perception, it is still not
understood how di昀昀erent features of brain activity causally
drive mental events. The goal of Dr. Adesnik’s research
program is to crack the neural codes for visual perception–
to understand how pa琀琀erns of activity in the visual parts
of the brain give rise to all visual experiences, including our
remarkable ability to recognize di昀昀erent faces and objects,
and even recalling these images long-term. To achieve this,
a dictionary that relates speci昀椀c pa琀琀erns of brain activity
to speci昀椀c visual perceptions must be developed. Doing so
requires powerful new optical technologies that can image
and then recreate very precise pa琀琀erns of activity in the brain.
Dr. Adesnik’s lab has pioneered these technologies in rodents,
but because the 昀椀nal goal is to understand high-level visual
perception (i.e., of faces and objects), work must involve nonhuman primates, which have highly developed visual systems
like those of humans. Since no group has ever been able
to leverage these powerful imaging and photo-stimulation
technologies in non-human primates, the key goal of this
two-year project is to develop and validate these approaches
in the common marmoset, a relatively new model species for
visual neuroscience.
Eiman Azim, Ph.D.
The Salk Institute for
Biological Studies
Project Title: Learning
From Error: De昀椀ning How
Cerebellar Circuits Drive
Adaptation in a Changing
World
Keywords: Motor learning,
Dexterity, Prediction
Errors, Sensorimotor
Adaptation, Cerebellum,
Inferior Olive, Red Nucleus
The ability to move
e昀昀ectively through the world is one of the most important
functions of the brain. However, the world and the body are
constantly changing, meaning the signals the brain uses to
move the body must adapt to shifting circumstances. One
critical way the brain achieves this 昀氀exibility is by comparing
what the brain predicts the body will do to what the body
actually does. When mismatches are found, a process of
learning occurs so that these errors are minimized in the
future. This project will study the pathways in the brain
that are responsible for detecting mismatches to drive this
learning process. Diseases and injuries that a昀昀ect a part of
the brain called the cerebellum are known to disrupt our ability
to adapt our movements to changing conditions, and a be琀琀er
understanding of the a昀昀ected pathways in the brain can
lead to improved diagnosis and repair. More broadly, a clearer
picture of how neural circuits adapt to error can contribute to
new approaches to treating disorders by engaging learning
mechanisms in the brain.
James J. DiCarlo, M.D., Ph.D.
Massachuse琀琀s Institute of
Technology
Project Title: Using
Computer Models of the
Neural Mechanisms of
Visual Processing to NonInvasively Modulate Brain
States
Keywords: Neural Network
Models, Affective
Disorders, Non-invasive
Interventions, Amygdala,
Visual Ventral Stream
Dr. DiCarlo’s research team is exploring an innovative
approach to addressing emotional challenges, such as
anxiety and depression. Traditional treatments for these
disorders can be complex and often cause unpleasant side
e昀昀ects, so the research team is investigating a unique idea:
extending and utilizing computer models of vision to test the
possibility of bene昀椀cially in昀氀uencing a person’s emotional
state. Their plan involves presenting carefully designed
images to our eyes, with the goal of improving our emotional
well-being. Image creation is aided by complex computer
models which can predict what images will best activate
particular sets of neurons (brain cells) in brain regions that
process visual images and in connected brain regions involved
in regulating emotion.
Currently, researchers are conducting tests with animals
to see if this concept is e昀昀ective. If successful, they plan to
extend these investigations to humans. The ultimate goal of
this line of work would be a non-invasive clinical treatment,
similar to watching a movie. A sequence of specially crafted
images would be viewed by a patient at a prescribed
frequency (similar to a dosage for a medicine). The idea is
that by repeatedly exposing our eyes to these images, our
minds might experience positive changes in emotional state,
resulting in an e昀昀ective treatment for mood (depression) and
anxiety-related disorders.
-Rosalie A. Ciardullo Scienti昀椀c Innovations Award
Brain Research Foundation Summer 2024 7