Optical techniques for integrated control and recording of neural activity

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
A long-standing objective of psychiatry has been the ability to both control and record the activity of precisely-defined populations of brain cells on the millisecond timescale most relevant for neural computation. Recent advances bring that goal increasingly near by leveraging the genetically-precise techniques of molecular biology with the high-speed, multiplexed command afforded by optical technologies to introduce and utilize light-sensitive neural activity control integrated with fast neural circuit imaging. In this thesis, I present exemplars of these technological advances and demonstrate their utility in illuminating the neural circuit basis of behaviors relevant to understanding psychiatric disease. I first show how fast neural circuit imaging may be integrated with optical neural control tools to develop insight into the role of genetically, developmentally, or projection defined populations of brain cells in mediating circuit-level physiological changes. I then demonstrate computational methods to analyze the resultant imaging data and apply fast circuit imaging to delineate links between hippocampal physiology and behavior in an animal model of depression. Finally, I present the development of a novel class of optically-activated, genetically-targetable control tools that permit optical control of G-protein coupled intracellular signaling; and the use of these molecular devices to determine causal roles of neuromodulatory inputs in reward processing. The development of these and similar optical modalities further improves the precision of questions addressable by the neuroscientist, and potentially the extent of disease treatable by the clinician.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic; electronic resource; remote
Extent 1 online resource.
Publication date 2010
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Associated with Airan, Raag Dar
Associated with Stanford University, Department of Bioengineering.
Primary advisor Deisseroth, Karl
Thesis advisor Deisseroth, Karl
Thesis advisor Endy, Andrew D
Thesis advisor Kobilka, Brian K
Thesis advisor Malenka, Robert C
Advisor Endy, Andrew D
Advisor Kobilka, Brian K
Advisor Malenka, Robert C

Subjects

Genre Theses

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Raag Dar Airan.
Note Submitted to the Department of Bioengineering.
Thesis Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2010.
Location electronic resource

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2010 by Raag Dar Airan

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