Engineering the Brain : Technologies for Neurobiological Applications

Recent technological advances–from fields as diverse as gene and protein engineering to optics/photonics, chemistry, materials science, nanoscience, electrophysiology, and more–offer unprecedented opportunities for measuring and manipulating neural cells and circuits. Such technologies have helped propel forward the already impressive strides made in our understanding of the genetic, molecular, and physiological mechanisms that contribute to brain development and function. Developing new technologies to probe the brain, as well as approaches for managing complex emerging data, will require concerted efforts and collaboration across specialties.