Oscillatory Neural Activity in Olfactory Areas of Molluscan Brains Recorded by 64-Electrode Planar Microarray

Oscillatory Neural Activity in Olfactory Areas of Molluscan Brains Recorded by 64-Electrode Planar Microarray
 Dr. Dragoljub Pokrajac, Dr. Melissa Harrington, Natallia Robinson, Kinjal Patel

Predavač
 Dr. Dragoljub Pokrajac
Assistant Professor, Computer and Information Science, Delaware State University, USA
http://www.dbi.udel.edu/pokrajacbio.html

Elektrotehnički fakultet, utorak, 27.09.2005, 17:00, sala 61

Abstract (sadržaj):
We study the neurobiology and behavior of Euglandina rosea, the rosy wolfsnail. This predatory snail tracks its prey (other snails and slugs) by following their slime trails. The wolfsnail has a specialized sense organ that detects the slime trails (the lip extension). The wolfsnail touches these lip extensions to the slime in order to follow the trail and catch its prey. We are using electrophysiological techniques to record the neural activity of the wolfsnail cerebral ganglia in order to understand how the wolfsnail processes and responds to slime detected by the lip tentacles. Our specific goal was to investigate the influence of the neurotransmitter, serotonin, on the neural activity of the procerebrum. Serotonin has been shown to modulate the oscillatory neural activity of the procerebrum in other snails and slugs.
We have developed the first non-mammalian adaptation of multi-electrode recording with planar electrode micro arrays. The MED-64 is a 64 channel multi-electrode recording system for recordings from brains or brain slices. With this equipment it is possible to simultaneously record from 64 electrodes across a piece of nerve tissue. We have used the MED-64 to record field potential oscillations from the procerebrum of several mollusk species, allowing us to calculate the frequency and velocity of oscillations simultaneously recorded at electrodes spanning the procerebrum.
We demonstrated that Serotonin is the essential factor for generation of synchronous oscillatory activity in the procerebrum. The main effect of serotonin is to increase the amplitude of oscillatory activity in neurons.

Biografija predavača:  
Dr Dragoljub Pokrajac, dipl. inž., je docent na Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware, USA. Dr Pokrajac je diplomirao 1993 na Elektronskom fakultetu u Nišu. Na istom fakultetu je 1997 odbranio i magistarsku tezu na smeru Telekomunikacije, u oblasti primene adaptivnih filtara u sistemima sa ekspandovanim spektrom. Tokom 1998-2000 dr Pokrajac pohađa doktorske studije na Washington State University, Pullman, WA. Godine 2002, Dragoljub Pokrajac je odbranio doktorsku disertaciju “Spatial-temporal data mining” na Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, pod supervizijom mentora prof. dr Zorana Obradovića.
Naučni rad dr Pokrajaca skoncentrisan je na razvoj i primenu metoda data mining-a u raznim oblastima, uključujući klasifikaciju medicinskih slika, bioinformatiku, sisteme za video-nadzor, geofizičke nauke, poljoprivredu i biznis. Dr Pokrajac je autor nekoliko radova u časopisima, jedne knjige, nekoliko desetina konferencijskih radova i jednog patenta i zastupljen je u Who’s Who in America, izdanja 2003. 2004 i 2005.