The brain is one of the most intensely studied areas in modern biology and yet remains poorly understood. To interrogate its functioning and mis-functioning requires the deployment of a variety of new technologies currently under development for use in neuroscience research. This award will support production of Nature Publishing Group (NPG) Webinar(s), to explore potentially transformative technologies that are, or will be, critical for the study of neuroscience.
'Beyond Optogenetics' : The field of Optogenetics promises to revolutionize neuroscience by using light to manipulate neural activity in genetically or functionally defined neurons with millisecond precision to alter neuronal activity at the circuit level. Optogenetics has exploded into the cellular neuroscience field, evolving from a sophisticated approach to a standard expertise for any neuroscience lab to master. By making it possible to selectively activate individual neurons in a living brain, optogenetics provides one of the most temporally precise and phenotypically-selective technologies available to neuroscientists doing research on brain function. To help in implementing these advancing technologies and interpreting the data they produce, the Webinar would focus on practical aspects about how to become acquainted with the technique, what considerations should be made when designing experiments, and how to stay current with new developments in this area. Such topics and insights would be extremely valuable to a broad audience, including not only neuroscientists who are researching the complexities of the brain, but also those who are designing future technologies aimed at adding functionality during the measurement and manipulation of nervous system activities.
'Subcellular Imaging' : Recent developments in microscopy methods are making it possible to image below the diffraction limit. To date, most of the attention has been focused on super-resolution methods (like STED, PALM and STORM) that significantly push spatial resolution to the limit. For biology and subcellular imaging, there are now exciting new methods that double the resolution of microscopes and allow imaging of larger areas and at faster speeds than the currently available technique. Because of the huge number of methods and confusion surrounding them, a Webinar on this topic would offer biologists guidance and discussion to address these important issues.
The Webinar(s) will feature a set of discussions with leading experimentalists concerning emerging technologies that are poised to be used in innovative ways to generate new insights into the functioning of the nervous system. In addition, the Webinar(s) will include comments from NSF staff to place the discussion in the context of NSF's interest in the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Technologies known as the BRAIN Initiative. Dissemination to a broad audience of scientists/researchers in the neuroscience field will occur via the NPG website, and the Webinar(s) will be aired at the NSF booth during the Society for Neuroscience Meeting in November 2013 in San Diego, CA.
Transformative Technology in Neuroscience – Nature Publishing Group live Webinar The grant from NSF was used to fund the creation of a live Webinar featuring experts on the recent technological developments in the use of optogenetics to research brain function. The Webinar was created by NPG in response to the need expressed by experts for educational programmes on the topic. It explores this transformative technology, focussing on practical aspects such as how to become acquainted with the technique, things to think about when designing experiments and how to stay current with new developments. It also featured a live Q&A session with the experts at the end. The live broadcast was disseminated to a global audience and a recording with accompanying slides is available online at www.nature.com Optogenetics promise to revolutionize neuroscience by using light to manipulate brain activity with millisecond precision. By making it possible to selectively activate individual neurons in a living brain, optogenetics provides one of the most precise techniques available to neuroscientists investigating the function of the brain. Researchers are currently working on experiments investigating how optogenetics can be used to manipulate the behaviour of rats (see image). Neurological conditions such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism are found among all age groups and in all geographical regions of the world, and the number of people with neurological disorders is estimated to increase considerably in years to come. Most of the neurological conditions result in long-term disability and many have an early age of onset, so as well as the impact on sufferers, these neurological conditions place a great burden on the whole of society including stresses on family and care-givers and an ever-increasing economic cost. The technological advances in optogenetics facilitate research into understanding how the brain functions and can be manipulated. This will in turn hopefully lead to the development of better prevention and treatment for these debilitating neurological conditions.
