Microtechnology for Interfacing with the Nervous System

The brain has always been attractive to engineers. Neurons and their connections, like tiny circuit elements, process and transmit information in a dramatic way that is intimately curious to researchers in the computer science and engineering fields. Science has made great strides in the past few decades toward uncovering the basic principles underlying the brain's ability to receive sensation and control movement. These discoveries, along with revolutionary advances in computing power and microelectronics technology, have led to an emerging view that neural prosthetics, or electronic interfaces with the brain for restoration or augmentation of physiological function, may one day be possible. This talk will cover a variety of engineering technologies that we use to interface with the nervous system, from cells in culture to clinical applications. This includes technology for extracting motor intention from the brain for use in artificial prostheses as well as methods for characterizing the brain's reaction to implanted devices. It will also cover a wide range of micro and nano technologies that we are exploring to try to elucidate different mechanisms that can be used to guide neuronal polarity and growth in culture, particularly ones which integrate microfluidic systems with microelectronics and micro-protein patterning.

Speaker: Justin Williams, Univ of Wisconsin-Madison

Room 540