[talks] Special seminar - Jonathan Viventi, NYU poly

[Scott Karlin]

“High-Resolution Brain Machine Interfaces using Flexible Silicon 
Electronics"

Jonathan Viventi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering & 
Center for Neural Science, New York University

Date: Thursday, May 29th

Time: 4:30pm

Location: A32 Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Abstract

Current implantable brain devices for clinical and research applications 
require that each electrode is individually wired to a separate 
electronic system.  Establishing a high-resolution interface over broad 
regions of the brain is infeasible under this constraint, as an 
electrode array with thousands of passive contacts would require 
thousands of wires to be individually connected.  To overcome this 
limitation, we have developed new implantable electrode array technology 
that incorporates active, flexible electronics.  This technology has 
enabled extremely flexible arrays of 1,024 electrodes and soon, 
thousands of multiplexed and amplified sensors spaced as closely as 250 
µm apart, which are connected using just a few wires.  These devices 
yield an unprecedented level of spatial and temporal 
micro-electrocorticographic (µECoG) resolution for recording and 
stimulating distributed neural networks.  I will present the development 
of this technology and data from in vivo recordings.  I will also 
present examples of finely detailed spatial and temporal patterns from 
feline neocortex that give rise to seizures and suggest new stimulation 
paradigms to treat epilepsy. Finally, I will discuss new electrode 
designs and supporting hardware to enable chronic implantation of µECoG 
arrays with multiplexed recording and stimulation to enable a 
bi-directional interface with the brain.


Bio

Jonathan Viventi is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer 
Engineering at the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering 
and an Assistant Professor of Neural Science at New York University. Dr. 
Viventi earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of 
Pennsylvania and his M.Eng. and B.S.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering 
from Princeton University. Dr. Viventi's research applies innovations in 
flexible electronics, low power analog circuits, and machine learning to 
create new technology for interfacing with the brain at a much finer 
scale and with broader coverage than previously possible. He creates new 
tools for neuroscience research and technology to diagnose and treat 
neurological disorders, such as epilepsy. Using these tools, he 
collaborates with neuroscientists and clinicians to explore the 
fundamental properties of brain networks in both health and disease. His 
research program works closely with industry, including filing five 
patents and several licensing agreements. His work has been featured as 
cover articles in Science Translational Medicine and Nature Materials, 
and has also appeared in Nature Neuroscience, the Journal of 
Neurophysiology, and Brain. Dr. Viventi has received several awards for 
his work, including a Taking Flight Award from Citizens United for 
Research in Epilepsy (CURE), a “Grand Challenge” award from New York 
University, the Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences / 
Neuroscience Graduate Group Flexner Award for Best Neuroscience Thesis 
at the University of Pennsylvania, the Solomon R. Pollack Award for Best 
Thesis in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of 
Pennsylvania, and the Nano/Bio-Interface Center Graduate Research Award 
for Best Graduate Research on Nanotechnology Applied to Biology at the 
University of Pennsylvania.


Host: Uri Hasson