Toward a natural-resolution neural interface: artificial retina
Event details
| Date | 21.09.2018 |
| Hour | 15:00 › 16:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. E.J. Chichilnisky, John R. Adler Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Abstract
Retinal prostheses represent an exciting development in science, engineering, and medicine – an opportunity to create devices that exploit our knowledge of neural circuitry in order to replace or even enhance normal function. The lessons we learn in developing them may apply to many neural interfaces of the future. Existing retinal prostheses demonstrate proof of principle in treating incurable blindness, but they produce limited visual function. Some of the reasons for this can be understood based on the exquisitely precise and specific circuitry that mediates visual signaling in the retina. These considerations suggest that future devices may need to operate at single-cell, single-spike resolution in order to mediate naturalistic visual function. I will show data indicating that, in some cases, such resolution is possible. I will also discuss the limits of current technology, and propose that we can substantially improve the performance of retinal prostheses, and presumably other neural interfaces, by designing bi-directional devices that adapt to the specific configuration of the neural circuity and thus produce more natural function.
Biography:
E.J. Chichilnisky is the John R. Adler Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University, where he has been since 2013 after 15 years at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. He received his B.A. in Mathematics from Princeton University, and his M.S. in mathematics and Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University. His research program focuses on understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of electrical activity in the retina that convey visual information to the brain, and their origins in retinal circuitry, using large-scale multi-electrode recordings. His research also involves physiological experiments with electrical stimulation and computational methods aimed at advancing the design of visual prostheses for treating blindness. He is the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, a McKnight Scholar Award, and a McKnight Technological Innovation in Neuroscience Award.
Retinal prostheses represent an exciting development in science, engineering, and medicine – an opportunity to create devices that exploit our knowledge of neural circuitry in order to replace or even enhance normal function. The lessons we learn in developing them may apply to many neural interfaces of the future. Existing retinal prostheses demonstrate proof of principle in treating incurable blindness, but they produce limited visual function. Some of the reasons for this can be understood based on the exquisitely precise and specific circuitry that mediates visual signaling in the retina. These considerations suggest that future devices may need to operate at single-cell, single-spike resolution in order to mediate naturalistic visual function. I will show data indicating that, in some cases, such resolution is possible. I will also discuss the limits of current technology, and propose that we can substantially improve the performance of retinal prostheses, and presumably other neural interfaces, by designing bi-directional devices that adapt to the specific configuration of the neural circuity and thus produce more natural function.
Biography:
E.J. Chichilnisky is the John R. Adler Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University, where he has been since 2013 after 15 years at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. He received his B.A. in Mathematics from Princeton University, and his M.S. in mathematics and Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University. His research program focuses on understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of electrical activity in the retina that convey visual information to the brain, and their origins in retinal circuitry, using large-scale multi-electrode recordings. His research also involves physiological experiments with electrical stimulation and computational methods aimed at advancing the design of visual prostheses for treating blindness. He is the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, a McKnight Scholar Award, and a McKnight Technological Innovation in Neuroscience Award.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Medtronic Chair in Neuroengineering (lne.epfl.ch)
Contact
- Prof. Diego Ghezzi