Title: Materials and technologies for multi-modality and soft neural interfacing         Speaker: Prof. Xiaojie Duan, Peking University (PKU)          Chair: Prof. Tianzi Jiang, Brainnetome Center, CASIA          Time: 2020.10.16, 14:30-15:30           Venue: The 1rd meeting room, 3rd floor, Intelligence Building

Abstract

Implantable electrical probes have led to advances in neuroscience, brain-machine interfaces, as well as diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases, yet they remain limited in several key aspects. Large-scale electrical brain mapping at single-neuron level is challenging due to the difficulty of incorporating large-number electrodes across whole brain or even an entire particular brain circuitry. Another major challenge is to overcome the problem of poor stability of neuronal recording and modulation, which impedes long-term studies of individual neurons in the brain. In this presentation, I will overview our recent progresses in developing materials and technologies for multi-modality and soft neural interfacing. Highly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible electrodes are realized and used for simultaneous whole-brain functional MRI and deep brain stimulation (DBS), to reveal the full neuromodulatory effects of DBS in Parkinsonian rat model. Stretchable transparent electrode arrays are developed for simultaneous electrical and optical interrogation of neural circuits which leverage the spatial and temporal resolution advantages of both modalities. Soft depth electrodes showed high stability in neural interfacing with brain. We believe that the electrode technology we described here provides unique opportunities in both fundamental and translational neuroscience studies. 

Biography 

Xiaojie Duan is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering at Peking University (PKU). She received the B.S. degree in chemistry from Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China, and the Ph. D. degrees in physical chemistry from Peking University in 2007, Beijing, China. She worked as a postdoctoral scholar from 2008 to 2013 at Harvard University, where she switched research to develop nanomaterials and nanotechnology enabled neural interfacing technologies. The research of her has led to publications in many high impact science journals, such as Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Communications, PNAS.