Ganesh Vasan

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Credentials

PhD

Creative Activity Summary

Neuronal activity underlying behavior is encoded by distinct populations comprising a myriad of excitatory and inhibitory cell classes. These populations not only form local networks in individual brain areas but also act concertedly with neural assemblies in other relevant brain areas via global connections that facilitate interareal communication. In my recent work, I developed a high-throughput protein engineering and voltage screening approach to create a suite of 4 mutually compatible fluorescent voltage indicators for recording neuronal activity at submillisecond precision. Using a novel dual-polarity, dual-color voltage imaging technique, these indicators enable concurrent optical recordings of the spiking dynamics of three distinct excitatory and interneuronal populations in the visual cortex or the hippocampus in running mice. In a parallel study, I used genetically encoded calcium indicators and a synchronized dual microscope system to uncover the concerted spatial and temporal odor patterning in the dorsal and previously inaccessible lateral regions of the olfactory bulb. Collectively, the multipopulation and multiareal recording approaches will empower studies of the interplay between local and global neural circuit dynamics underlying stimulus-guided behavior in awake animals.