Research in Action: - University of Calgary

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With a pulse of light and a spark of electricity, a computer stimulates a network of brain cells growing on a silicon wafer. Dr. Michael Colicos watches intently as the neurons flash with activity. Colicos, a researcher with the Boone Pickens Centre at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, is using his bio-computer interface to study the cause of neurological disorders like epilepsy, autism and stroke and to develop new ways to treat them. The technology has also allowed him to make fundamental discoveries about how neurons grow and form connections. 6 UofC Research in Action “We can interface with a large population of brain cells simultaneously,” he explains, “and at the same time see the connections between them in great detail.” Colicos co-created the interfacing technology—called photoconductive stimulation—with Dr. Yukiko Goda at the University of California, San Diego. In his own lab, he uses the technology to study autism, epilepsy, stroke and spinal cord injury. The technology is versatile. To study epilepsy, for example, the researchers induce a seizure in the neurons on the wafer. The computer monitor lights up with a fireworks display of neuronal activity. For Colicos, this work is not only a challenge of discovery, but it also has personal relevance. While he has been involved in epilepsy research for more than 10 years, his two-year-old daughter, Alexandra, developed epilepsy as a baby. Although anti-seizure drugs are currently available, Colicos hopes that this new technology will help epilepsy researchers pursue new therapies. Little grey cells spark big ideas Carolina Gutierrez Herrera, a PhD candidate in Colicos’ lab, is working on another puzzle—trying to understand how autism affects the way that neurons communicate. Gutierrez has been comparing healthy neurons to those with a gene mutation linked to autism. As the live images of brain cell activity reveal, the cell populations communicate in very different ways. There is so much to learn from a single synapse—the point of communication between neurons, she says. “But when you stand back to take in the big picture, it is interesting to see that the mutation has such a distinctive effect at the global level.” She and Colicos speculate that the change in communication between brain cells might explain how the autistic brain processes information differently, although it will be some time before this idea can be tested. Another goal for the interface is to create a bio-computational device. By interfacing the immense computational power of a neuronal network with a computer, scientists could develop a device for performing extremely complex tasks, such as face recognition. ucalgary.ca/colicos/ Dr. Michael Colicos is using a technology that links computers with brain cells to develop new treatments for epilepsy, autism, stroke and spinal injury.
Dr. Michael Colicos is using bio-computer technology to study autism, epilepsy, stroke and spinal cord injury. “We’re fusing living tissue with computers,” says Colicos. It’s the next generation of biomedical technology that will help find the best treatment for epilepsy, and help people walk after stroke or spinal injuries. Biomedical Engineering: Understanding the Brain 7
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Research in Action: - University of Calgary

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