Data Analysis

Handling of neurobiological research data requires sophisticated and efficient data analysis tools. The detection of calcium events is one process I learned to automate and quantify using a variety of techniques. In the image below, a set of regions of interest (ROIs) is used to measure fluorescence intensity over time in a video sequence. Spikes in the ROI record indicate brain waves. I have developed MATLAB and Python algorithms for autodetecting these spikes and quantifying their expression patterns

Quantification of brainwaves can be done in many ways. For example in the figure below, the frequency of brainwaves is reported in various brain regions, and compared between control and experimental conditions. In this case, the experimental conditions include application of neurotoxins that selectively block specific ion channels. This quantification helped us to determine which neurotransmitters are necessary to generate the observed patterns of brain activity in brain development.