The Role of Physics in Modern Neuroscience

Event Description:

The event consisted of interdisciplinary panel discussions on the use of photonics in neuroscience. There was a discussion on the topic of the contribution of physics to modern neuroscience that raised a few questions regarding physics' role in the development of new technologies. Experimental science moves forward only when a new experimental method is developed to allow measurements that were previously unattainable with old methods. Next, it was discussed about the application of optogenetics for studying neuronal activity via glial photostimulation. It is known that intracellular calcium is a key signaling pathway in astroglia, however, it is still debated if this pathway contributes to gliotransmission. Using an optogenetic approach targeting astrocytes, it is possible to control astroglial activity and study glia-related properties of neuronal activity regulation in healthy and diseased brains. Finally, it was discussed on the usage of voltage and calcium indicators in studying neurons in vitro. We discussed on how to increase the reproducibility of the results obtained in these experiments and the potential of this experimental approach in testing neurodegenerative diseases’ biomarkers' effects on neurons.

This event was organized through the collaboration among the Institute of Physics (University of Belgrade, Serbia), the Faculty of Biology (University of Belgrade, Serbia), and the School of Medicine, University of Connecticut (Farmington, USA).