Each participant will be able to attend one lab session.

Please, indicate your order of preference for the labs you are interested in thought the registration form. Note that lab assignments will be made based on availability, while trying to accommodate your preferences.

LAB: NICOLETTA LIGUORI

SESSIONS WITH: Antonio Sampaoli & Chunyu Li

"Understanding the photophysics of the molecular tools used to manipulate and investigate the brain: probing the photocycle of a photoreceptor"

The Photon Harvesting in Plants and Biomolecules group is home to a state-of-the-art spectroscopy setup with multiple synchronized femtosecond and nanosecond laser sources. This setup will allow students to run a hands-on project based on a pump-probe experiment with femtosecond resolution, spanning timescales as long as the >>ms, as it is necessary to characterize the complete photocycle of photoactive proteins crucial in optogenetics and fluorescence microscopy. Students will also apply advanced data analysis tools on the measured dataset, such as compartmental modelling, to obtain an understanding of the different intermediate steps in the excited state dynamics of these systems.

LAB: MARÍA GARCÍA PAJARO

SESSIONS WITH: Félix Campelo & Roger Pons

"Confocal and STED microscopy of intracellular organelles in fixed tissue cultured cells"

This project involves the use of multi-color confocal and stimulated emission-depletion (STED) super-resolution microscopy to study intracellular organelle morphology in fixed tissue cultured cells.
The main focus will be on observing the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which stores calcium and plays a crucial role in neuronal signaling, synaptic transmission, and neuron-specific signaling cascades. Understanding ER morphology in relation to other organelles like the Golgi apparatus and mitochondria is essential for understanding the fundamentals of neuronal function and neurological disorders.
Participants will learn how to use cutting-edge microscopy techniques to examine ER morphology in tissue cultured cells. By pharmacologically manipulating ER calcium levels, they will assess changes in intracellular organization and ER morphology. The partcipants will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different cell using systems and fluorescence microscopy tools based on the results obtained.

LAB: MICHAEL KRIEG

SESSIONS WITH: Montserrat Porta & Luis-Felipe Morales-Curiel

"Neural engineering using bioluminescent light as a synaptic transmitter"

The mini course consists of two modules, in which the students learn the basis of optogenetic neuromodulation through the delivery calibrated stimuli of external light to animals which express orthogonal light sensors in an interneuron responsible to drive a stereotypic behavior.

We will also showcase transgenic animals capable of emitting light from individual neurons tha can be functional coupled to light sensing cells and introduce the basic concepts of light-field bioluminescence microscopy and the detection of photon starved samples at the diffraction limit using novel implementations of deep learning with Fourier optics. At the end, the student will be poised to apply neural engineering techniques and optogenetics in a living neural system.

LAB: PABLO LOZA ÁLVAREZ

SESSIONS WITH: Maria Marsal, Gustavo Castro & Eric Catalayud

"Measuring and analysing neuronal connectivity in the brain of zebrafish using light sheet fluorescence microscopy"

In this module, students will learn how to work with genetically modified zebrafish expressing GCaMP to record neuronal activity in their brains through Ca2+ dynamics. Using our state-of-the-art light sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM), students will be able to capture 3D volumes of the brain at high speeds. The module will also teach students how to analyze the data to understand the zebrafish neuronal network using Connectivity Maps formalism.

In essence, students will:

• Work with live, genetically modified zebrafish
• Use advanced LSFM techniques for fast 3D volumetric imaging
• Visualize and analyze neuronal activity through Ca2+ dynamics
• Gain expertise in Connectivity Maps analysis for network exploration

LAB: TURGUT DURDURAN

SESSIONS WITH: Lorenzo Cortese & M. Atif Yaqub

"Transcranial probing of the brain with light: from rodents to newborns to older adults"

Can we use light to probe more than a centimeter deep into tissues? Could this be a diagnostic tool or a key to unraveling the mysteries of neuroscience and cognition? Join our hands-on tutorial to explore these questions and more.
Learn the basics of diffuse optical experimental techniques to measure local tissue hemodynamics. The session will cover diffuse correlation spectroscopy, a laser speckle-based technique for quantifying microvascular blood flow, and near-infrared diffuse optical spectroscopy, which measures hemoglobin concentration and local oxygen consumption.
Gain practical experience with in vivo data and protocols, and master data analysis to extract vital physiological parameters from optical signals, identifying key differences between protocol phases and subjects. Enhance your skills and knowledge in this exciting field.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 871124, 101138041 and 101017113.