Ross S. Williamson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Neurobiology, and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, is the recipient of a multi-PI grant from The Kavli Foundation.
The $150,000 seed money will start a collaborative project to develop new methods relying on photonic technologies to advance neuroscience. “We hope that this grant will lead into more major government funding to continue the work in the future,” Dr. Williamson said.
In “Brain-wide cortical circuits for sensory-guided behavior,” Dr. Williamson, an experimental/theoretical neuroscientist, Gregory Handy (computational theorist from the University of Minnesota), and Anne Takesian (experimental neuroscientist from Harvard Medical School) will study how the functional circuitry of sensory cortex gives rise to complex behavioral outcomes.
“Behaviorally-relevant sensory signals are propagated brain-wide by extratelencephalic (ET) neurons located in the deep layers of sensory cortex,” Dr. Williamson explained. “The distinct morphology of ET neurons, which send axonal projections to diverse brain regions, has led to their portrayal as canonical ‘broadcast’ neurons that transmit information to influence perception. ET activity is powerfully shaped by an elaborate network of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons within cortical layer 1 (L1) that receive top-down inputs conveying information about global brain states and learned associations.
By leveraging advances in two-photon (2P) deep-brain calcium imaging, holographic 2P optogenetics, head-fixed behavior, and neural network modeling, we will determine 1) how functionally-defined ET ensembles shape cortical output during sensory-guided behavior, and 2) how functionally-defined ET ensembles are modulated by L1 networks. These results will provide key insights into the interactions among and between two complex cortical networks that receive and transmit brain-wide signals to modulate sensory perception.”
The Kavli Foundation was established in 2000 by Fred Kavli, a Norwegian-American entrepreneur and champion of science, with a vision to advance science for the benefit of humanity. The Kavli Exploration Awards are an outcome of collaborative research proposals that emerged from the international conference, Sculpted Light in the Brain.
“We are delighted to support the work of these outstanding scientists who are pushing the limits of imaging technologies to study the brain,” said Amy Bernard, Director of Life Sciences at The Kavli Foundation. “Their work will generate new insights into fundamental neuroscience and may lead to applications that have yet to be discovered.