Biomedical Engineering 597N - ST- Neuroengineering

This course seeks to build a foundation of physical principles underlying neuroengineering techniques, including electrical, optical, and magnetic approaches to neural recording and stimulation. We will discuss neural recording probes and materials considerations that influence the quality of the signals and longevity of the probes in the brain. This will be accompanied by the discussion of evolution of neural probes from microwires in the 1950s, to Utah arrays in the 1980s, to modern Neuropixels, meshes, and fibers. We will then consider physical foundations for optical recording and modulation approaches. Materials physics of optical fibers, GRIN lenses, light-emitting devices, and photodetectors will be discussed and followed by the in-depth review of devices and systems involved in optogenetics, photometry, and endoscopy. Finally, the course will deliver an introduction to magnetism in the context of biological systems. We will focus on magnetic neuromodulation methods including transcranial magnetic stimulation and nanomaterials based approaches to remote control of neural activity.