서강대학교 전자공학과

전자공학과 의료기술분야 전문가 초청 세미나 안내

제  목 : Modulating and sensing our mind using light and sound
일  시 : 8월 30일 금요일 11:00~
장  소 : 서강대학교 바오로경영관 101호(PA101호)
강연자 : 강지운 박사(School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University)
 

Title: “Modulating and sensing our mind using light and sound”
Abstract: Non-invasive neuroimaging and precise neuromodulation have been a
pair of essential tools for neuroengineering investigations. For neuroimaging, we
have developed a transcranial functional photoacoustic imaging to visualize
electrophysiologic dynamics in deep neural circuits in a minimally invasive way.
In rodent animal, a chemo-convulsant seizure and visual perception were
successfully distinguished, and its neuroscientific ground was unveiled by
tri-modal correlation among neurochemical and electrophysiological modalities
with the concomitant focal glutamatergic excitation in vivo. Furthermore, we
presented non-invasive sensing of neurophysiologic dynamics in a larger swine
model with the thicknesses of scalp and skull layers comparable to humans.
From these researches, we present our envision that a comprehensive evaluation
of deep neural circuit dynamics will be enabled for various scientific and clinical
applications: e.g., understanding neural circuitry mechanism; unlocking the neural
codes behind behaviors; early diagnosis and monitoring of neurologic or
neurophysiologic disorders. In addition to imaging, our team has developed a
novel neuromodulation mechanism using photoacoustic and thermal energies
generated from a focal laser excitation, as a potential candidate for new bionic
eye technology. The novel approach will enable the precise interrogation of the
visual perceptions with flexible field-of-view and spatial resolution and more
straightforward surgery and post-surgical maintenance. The validation studies
show successful neuromodulative effects in in vitro neuronal cell cultures and ex
vivo retinal explants, differentiating thermal and photoacoustic mechanisms and
defining temporal specificity, respectively. Finally, we will discuss how the
integration of these separate technologies in neuroimaging and neuromodulation
can breakthrough current limitations in science and clinics.