CAREER: Identical Brains in Two Zebrafish: Optical Programming and Replication of Brains

About This Grant

The brain is composed of specific cells called neurons that connect to form circuits. These brain circuits allow the brain to process information, control bodily functions, and regulate behavior. However, these circuits can malfunction, which can lead to brain disorders. This research project aims to address challenges in damaged neuron circuits by "reprogramming" the brain. The long-term goal is to develop new ways to change and repair brain circuits, which will help understand how to treat brain disorders. The project will use zebrafish larvae as a model system to demonstrate that signals can be transferred from a healthy brain to a damaged one with the goal of rebuilding the malfunctioning circuits. The project will engage students and the public in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities. Local high school students will help build novel brain interfaces to demonstrate control over zebrafish movement. College students will create interfaces to demonstrate signal transfer between zebrafish and robots. These activities will be shared through educational videos and outreach events that will allow the community to learn more about neurons and brain. This research will improve our understanding of brain development and highlight the importance of early intervention for brain disorders. Within the brain, neurons interconnect to form neural circuits, which are essential for processing information, controlling bodily functions, and regulating behavior. However, in disordered brains, neural circuits can malfunction or become malformed, leading to a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. This project aims to address these maladaptive neural circuits by reprogramming the brain that will ultimately pave the way to reconstruct maladaptive neural circuits by replicating those from a healthy brain. The project will develop a new method to manipulate neural circuit development by transferring and replicating neural signals from one brain to another using an optogenetic actuator and a neural activity indicator in zebrafish larvae and demonstrate a functionally and structurally replicated brain. By demonstrating the feasibility of replicating neural signals and mitigating malfunctioning circuits in zebrafish larvae, this research will lay the groundwork for future research in the field of neural circuit restoration. The overall educational goal is to engage and motivate students and the public in STEM through comprehensive and interactive activities. Toward this goal, the proposed research will be integrated into educational projects to engage student interns from local high schools and undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the development of zebrafish interfaces. In addition, the research will contribute to public education by creating instructional videos for an at-home science project, which will be disseminated via online platforms. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.