This talk will introduce optical elements displayed with liquid-crystal spatial light modulators (SLMs). These pixelated microdisplays are useful for encoding optical phase functions and controlling the polarization of light. Modern SLMs exhibit high spatial resolution and precise control of optical retardance, allowing them to display diffractive elements. They have become key components for...
Structured light has revolutionized optical beam shaping, allowing for advanced control over phase, polarization, and orbital angular momentum (OAM). However, the generation and manipulation of non -separable spin–orbit states often rely on bulky and complex optical setups. Metasurfaces overcome these limitations, offering compact, planar devices with complete control of phase and polarization...
Optical tweezers use highly focused light beams to manipulate microscopic objects and measure forces at the single-molecule level, enabling precise investigation of biomolecular structure and dynamics [1]. By applying controlled mechanical stimuli, this technique reveals elastic, kinetic, and energetic properties of DNA, RNA, and proteins as they undergo biochemical reactions. In this talk, we...
Optical fibers can act as continuous sensors, turning guided light into a tool to measure temperature, strain, and vibration along their entire length. Originally developed for large-scale monitoring of structures and the environment, distributed fiber sensing has recently advanced to millimeter-scale spatial resolution, opening the door to high-resolution, minimally invasive measurements in...
Astrocytes are cells in the central nervous system involved in numerous functions, from the regulation of neurotransmission to the maintenance of ionic and metabolic homeostasis, as well as memory and learning[1]. However, how astrocytes contribute to these diverse processes is still only partially understood. Here, I will illustrate how computational approaches are providing novel insights...
Neurological diseases such as neurodegeneration, stroke, and brain tumors are often studied as separate conditions, yet they share common neuroimaging features and biological mechanisms. This talk introduces the human brain connectome as a unifying framework to explain how molecular pathology, focal lesions, and structural damage spread across large-scale brain networks. Alterations in brain...
A clear model - hence, a solid control - of the effects of microstimulation in neuronal networks is still lacking, hampering the great potential of this technique as a tool to probe the networks' structure and dynamics. Bridging computational modeling and an innovative experimental paradigm, we developed a model of the effects of single-site microstimulation in hippocampal cultures plated on...
The brain undergoes radical changes during the first years of life, which lay the foundations for many essential perceptual and cognitive abilities, such as language use or face perception. Imaging these neural changes is thus highly relevant, but not easy, as infants are challenging research participants. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a relatively new brain imaging technique, which is...
The coordination of cellular activities relies on the close positioning of intracellular organelles at membrane contact sites (MCSs), which has been found altered in several diseases. However, MCS study has been hampered by the lack of tools allowing to track membrane proximity with high spatial and temporal resolution. To address this limitation, we developed reversible fluorescent probes...
Brain disease is a major global health challenge, calling for new tools to probe the interplay between neural activity, neuromodulator dynamics, and molecular alterations. Understanding brain mechanisms requires both functional and biochemical measurements, yet current approaches largely rely on optical methods using genetically encoded reporters, which limit translational potential....
The development and function of neuronal circuits depend on the precise organization of neuronal morphology and synaptic architecture. These processes are shaped by intercellular communication mechanisms, including astrocyte-derived signals influencing neuronal growth, branching and synapse formation[1]. Although advanced microscopy provides detailed structural information, extracting robust...
Neural circuits underpin behavior, yet dissecting their function at single-cell resolution remains challenging due to complexity and inaccessibility in vivo. In this talk, I will show how larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) enables optical approaches that connect brain-wide activity to circuit organization and behavior. Leveraging volumetric calcium imaging, I will present experiments probing...
ABSTRACT
Brain functioning is linked to blood oxygenation levels, as localized neural activation triggers an increase in oxygen supply. This coupling enables the reconstruction of cerebral activity by monitoring fluctuations in blood oxygen levels, for example via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a label-free optical method that measures the differential absorption of...
Perinatal stroke (1:2,300 births) occurs during critical plasticity windows, disrupting neurodevelopment. While microglia-driven inflammation is well-studied in adults, its role in the developing brain remains unclear. To address this, we induced a cortical lesion (MCAO) at P14, assessing recovery via longitudinal behavioral testing. MCAO mice reveal motor deficits and reduced NeuN+ cells. To...
A clear model - hence, a solid control - of the effects of microstimulation in neuronal networks is still lacking, hampering the great potential of this technique as a tool to probe the networks' structure and dynamics. Bridging computational modeling and an innovative experimental paradigm, we developed a model of the effects of single-site microstimulation in hippocampal cultures plated on...
Newborns show sophisticated speech perceptual abilities already at birth, especially for speech over other sounds. But how does the brain process cries, the only vocalizations newborns can produce? We tested 70 newborns and 38 adults using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), measuring their brain activation in the bilateral temporal, frontal, and parietal areas while they were...
Owing to the global increase in life expectancy, neurodegenerative disorders currently represent a significant challenge both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Specifically, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the gradual loss of dopaminergic neurons, resulting in the onset of symptoms such as muscle rigidity and coordination difficulties. Unfortunately, these clinical...
The integration of affective information across sensory modalities is fundamental for early social-emotional development. In everyday interactions, emotions are communicated through both facial and vocal cues, yet the neural mechanisms supporting audiovisual emotion integration in infancy remain insufficiently understood. This study examines neural responses to congruent and incongruent...
Human midbrain organoids (hMOs) have recently emerged as 3D in vitro systems capable of self-organizing in complex structures. They can recapitulate key features of the human midbrain, providing a physiologically and pathologically relevant model to investigate Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aimed to compare the morphology of the dopaminergic neuronal network in midbrain organoids...
Abstract
Measuring subtle variations of neurochemical concentrations in the brain is crucial to advance the diagnostic capabilities and treatments for brain disorders. Recently, nanostructured optical probes have emerged as a promising strategy to enable in situ monitoring of neurochemicals levels through surface enhanced vibrational spectroscopy [1].
We present an innovative approach...
