Department of Biosystems Bio Engineering Laboratory Mattenstrasse 26 CH-4058 Basel www.bel.ethz.ch
ProjectDescription|Research/MScproject
Mappingsynapticconnectivityindevelopingneuronalnetworks
Figure:Mappingneuronalnetworksatcellularandsubcellularresolution(Image(left)courtesyofD.Jaeckel)
n BackgroundDissectingthecellularmechanismsofneuronaldynamicsandtheroleofspecificneuronsincontrollingneuronalactivityisfundamentaltoourunderstandingofhowinformationisprocessedandstoredinneuralcircuits.Despiterecentmethodologicaladvancesinthereconstructionandopticalimagingofcellularnetworks,aswellasstimulationofcircuits,asystematicinvestigationoftheintricatestructure-functionrelationshipofneuronalnetworksatthecellularscaleinvivoremainscumbersome.Neuronalculturesinvitro,therefore,stillprovideaveryattractivemodellingsystemtoaccessandcontrolneuronaltissueandtoaddresskeyprinciplesofneuronalnetworkorganization,inparticular,thesymbioticlinkbetweenneuronalstructureandintrinsicneuronalactivity.
n KeyobjectivesThemaingoalsofthisprojectwillbeto(i)becomefamiliarwiththerecentliteratureonmethodsformappingneuronalconnectivityatthecellularscale,(ii),tolearnthebasicproceduresofpreparingprimaryneuronalnetworksinvitro,(iii),torecordfromthemusingmultielectrodearrays(MEAs)developedbytheBioEngineeringlaboratory(BEL),(iv),tolocalizeandpreciselyaligntheelectricalfootprintofneuronswithanopticalreadoutofneuronalactivityand,(v),tosystematicallyvalidatetowhichdegreespontaneousand/orevokedneuronaldynamicsareindicativeofmono-synapticprincipal-cellconnectivity.ValidatingtentativesynapticconnectivityandfunctionalconnectivityinferencebetweencellsusingMEAtechnologymayalsoincludeexperimentsusingpatch-clampandmonosynapticrestrictedtranssynaptictracingwithviruses.Insum,theprojectwillprovidetheapplicantwithagreatoverviewoncurrentmicro-connectomicresearchatBELandcontributetoabetterunderstandingoftheinterplaybetweenfunctionalandstructuralconnectivityinlivingneuronalnetworks.
n RequirementsThecandidateshouldhaveaprofoundbackgroundinneuroscience,physics,engineeringorarelatedscientificfield;he/sheshouldbewillingtolearningnewexperimentaltechniquesaswellasrunanalysisandtoworkinavibrantinter-disciplinaryenvironment.SomeknowledgeandcodingexperienceinMatlab,Pythonorcomparableprogramminglanguagesismandatory.Theminimumdurationoftheprojectis6months.
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n ContactApplicantsshouldsubmitabriefletterofmotivation(halfapage)andanup-to-dateCVtoDrManuelSchroeter([email protected])andDrSergeySitnikov([email protected]).Pleasedonothesitatetocontactusifyouhaveanyqueries.
