Title: Building a model brain
Speaker: Gavriil Tsechpenakis, Associate Professor, IUPUI
Abstract: The first complete map of a whole brain is that of C. elegans. Its virtue, unchallenged thus far, is resolution down to the level of single visually identified neurons. Because the connectivity of individual neurons ultimately determines brain function, the creation of neural maps at this level in other more complex model organisms is critical for advancing our understanding of brain development. I will describe how we can reconstruct circuits and their structural dynamics in the larval Drosophila brain at the single-neuron level, using computer vision and machine learning methods. This work is intended to be a resource for anyone who wants to ‘navigate’ a model brain in vivo. The long-term goal is to create a complete model brain that will allow for comprehensive analysis of brain development after mutation and the assessment of changes in brain connectivity patterns resulting from drug treatments, disease, or aging and stress.
Speaker Bio: Gavriil Tsechpenakis is an Associate Professor of Computer Science, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. His research focus is on computer vision, computational neuroscience, and biomedical imaging. He received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2003 from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. In 2004–2006, he was a research fellow at the Center for Computational Biomedicine, Imaging and Modeling, Rutgers University. In 2007–2008, he was a visiting Assistant Professor at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Miami, FL, and in 2008-2010 he was a Research Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the same institution. In 2010-2014 he was a tenure-track Assistant Professor in his current department. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is an NSF CAREER Award recipient.