Related papers: Closed-loop targeted optogenetic stimulation of C.…
The emerging field of optogenetics allows for optical activation or inhibition of neurons and other tissue in the nervous system. In 2005 optogenetic proteins were expressed in the nematode C. elegans for the first time. Since then, C.…
Animals must integrate sensory cues with their current behavioral context to generate a suitable response. How this integration occurs is poorly understood. Previously we developed high throughput methods to probe neural activity in…
Stimulation of target neuronal populations using optogenetic techniques during specific sleep stages has begun to elucidate the mechanisms and effects of sleep. To conduct closed-loop optogenetic sleep studies in untethered animals, we…
A quantitative understanding of how sensory signals are transformed into motor outputs places useful constraints on brain function and helps reveal the brain's underlying computations. We investigate how the nematode C. elegans responds to…
A fundamental goal of systems neuroscience is to probe the dynamics of neural activity that drive behavior. Here we present an instrument to simultaneously manipulate neural activity via Channelrhodopsin, monitor neural response via GCaMP3,…
Optogenetics has emerged as an exciting tool for manipulating neural activity, which in turn, can modulate behavior in live organisms. However, detecting the response to the optical stimulation requires electrophysiology with physical…
We investigate how locomotory behavior is generated in the brain focusing on the paradigmatic connectome of nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and on neuronal activity patterns that control forward locomotion. We map the neuronal…
Neuromechanics aims to understand the link between an animal's neural activity and its physical behaviors. Recent advances in experimental and machine learning techniques enable simultaneous recordings of neural and locomotion dynamics over…
Limbless locomotors, from microscopic worms to macroscopic snakes, traverse complex, heterogeneous natural environments typically using undulatory body wave propagation. Theoretical and robophysical models typically emphasize body…
Identification and manipulation of different GABAergic interneuron classes in the behaving animal are important to understand their role in circuit dynamics and behavior. The combination of optogenetics and large-scale neuronal recordings…
In healthy sleepers, cortical alpha oscillations are present during the transition from wakefulness to sleep, and dissipate at sleep onset. For individuals with insomnia, alpha power is elevated during the wake-sleep transition and can…
Over the past decade, techniques enabling bidirectional modulation of neuronal activity with single cell precision have rapidly advanced in the form of two-photon optogenetic stimulation. Unlike conventional electrophysiological approaches…
Animal locomotion is often subject to constraints arising from anatomical/physiological asymmetries. We use the nematode C.~elegans as a minimal model system to ask whether such constraints might shape locomotion patterns optimized during…
Understanding how the brain integrates motor suppression with motivational processes remains a fundamental question in neuroscience. The rostral Pedunculopontine nucleus, a brainstem structure involved in motor control, has been shown to…
Animals employ different strategies for relating sensory input to behavioral output to navigate sensory environments, but what strategy to use, when to switch and why remain unclear. In C. elegans, navigation is composed of 'steering' and…
Closed-loop brain stimulation refers to capturing neurophysiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG), quickly identifying neural events of interest, and producing auditory, magnetic or electrical stimulation so as to interact…
We develop a biophysically realistic model of the nematode C. elegans that includes: (i) its muscle structure and activation, (ii) key connectomic activation circuitry, and (iii) a weighted and time-dynamic proprioception. In combination,…
There is renewed interest in modeling and understanding the nervous system of the nematode $\textit{Caenorhabditis elegans}$ ($\textit{C. elegans}$), as this small model system provides a path to bridge the gap between nervous system…
A salient feature of prefrontal cortex organization is the vast diversity of cell types that support the temporal integration of events required for sculpting future responses. A major obstacle in understanding the routing of information…
We investigate the use of musically structured, closed-loop vibration patterns as a passive biofeedback intervention for relaxation and sleep initiation. By encoding rhythmic meter structures into smartwatch vibrations and adapting their…