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Dr.  will hold a short seminar on neurosciences titled "Advances in functional UltraSound imaging (fUSi) of brain activity from rodents to human." 

The seminar will last for 45 minutes, followed by a Q&A session.

Topic: Advances in functional UltraSound imaging (fUSi) of brain activity from rodents to human.

Keywords: functional ultrasound imaging - brain imaging - neurovascular coupling - neural network - optogenetics

Summary: Development of efficient brain imaging technologies combining a high resolution and a large depth of field is a key step for a better understanding of brain circuits. Functional ultrasound imaging (fUSi) is an innovative modality based on Doppler ultrasound that can record brain activity at unprecedented spatial resolution (up to 10um pixel size) and in real-time. It combines both high frequency (up to 30 MHz) and high frame rate (up to 20 kHz) to track hemodynamic variations linked to neuronal activity several centimeters. The benefits of functional ultrasound imaging include excellent safety record, portability and affordable price in comparison with MRI or PET. fUSi has a high sensitivity and allows the precise study of pathologies such as stroke, AD, migraine where the neurovascular coupling is impaired. Moreover, fUSi is compatible with freely moving experiments in small animals and monkeys and optimized for studying the links between behavior and brain activity. fUS imaging can also be used intraoperatively in humans in many intervention requiring precise guiding of the neurosurgeon to identify eloquent brain regions during resection of pathological tissue such as pharmaco-resistant epilepsy or tumor.

About Alan Urban? Alan Urban is a research group leader at Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders (NERF) and Assistant Professor in the Neuroscience Department at KU Leuven in Belgium. His research focuses on using innovative technologies, such as Functional UltraSound, voltage-sensitive dyes, and optogenetics, to study the coupling between neuronal activity and cerebral blood flow, including the role of interneurons in the control of brain perfusion.

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