In-vivo optical characterization of epileptic microcircuits
Epilepsy is a common disorder in which abnormal activity, or seizures, arise within the brain. Despite progress in our understanding of the genetic and molecular causes of epilepsy it remains unclear: 1) how gene variants predispose to the emergence of seizures within populations of neurons (microcircuits), and 2) how the activity of epileptic and non-epileptic microcircuits differs.
Aim
- Investigate how gene variants predispose to the emergence of seizures within populations of neurons (microcircuits).
- Investigate how the activity of epileptic and non-epileptic microcircuits differs.
These questions will be addressed using mouse models of genetic epilepsy, in-vivo 2-photon calcium imaging, and techniques from network theory applied to neural recording data. Simultaneous microscopic optogenetic perturbation will also be used to characterize certain properties such as the excitability of epileptic and control microcircuits.
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