An optical brain-machine interface through the development of protein, microscope, and deep learning tools

Our work focuses on developing an optical brain-machine interface capable of interacting with neural activity in real-time. In this talk, I will describe our progress toward building the components that form such an interface. These components include protein sensors and actuators that interact with light to read and write neural activity, optical microscopes that can record neural activity from large volumes of brain tissue, and deep learning data processing algorithms that can calculate neural activity in real time. Together, these technology pieces will enable the next generation of neuroscientific experiments that control and investigate the cellular resolution response of the brain.