When
Monday, September 29, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.
Ying Jiang
Postdoctoral Associate
Department of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Tools and Insights into Neural Dynamics: From Optoacoustic Stimulation to Hemogenetic Imaging"
Keating 103 | Zoom link
(Instructor permission required for enrolled students attending via Zoom)
Host: Swarna Ganesh
Abstract: Advancing our understanding of brain function requires technologies that can both precisely manipulate and comprehensively image neural populations. However, current methods cannot fully meet these needs. Ultrasound stimulation, while promising as a neuromodulation modality, lacks the spatial and temporal resolution needed to target specific neural structures. Conversely, functional imaging techniques provide whole-brain coverage but cannot resolve the activity of defined circuit components. These limitations make it difficult to modulate and map neural populations with the precision necessary for basic neuroscience and translational applications. My research addresses these challenges through the development and application of two complementary strategies: optoacoustic neuromodulation and hemogenetic imaging. Optoacoustic neuromodulation uses laser-to-acoustic conversion to control neural activity across spatial scales. Fiber-based methods allow highly localized subcellular stimulation, while remote modalities enable minimally invasive and noninvasive neuromodulation. On the imaging side, hemogenetic imaging combines noninvasive hemodynamic readouts with genetically encoded activity reporters, making it possible to monitor activity in genetically defined neural populations across the whole brain. Applying hemogenetic imaging with fMRI, we investigated how neural information is transformed and integrated across sensory circuits. Together, these technologies form a comprehensive framework for precise manipulation and targeted imaging of neural populations, advancing neuroscience research and enabling novel therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders.
Bio: Ying Jiang is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his BS in biomedical engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2015. He completed his PhD in neuroscience at Boston University in 2021 under the mentorship of Ji-Xin Cheng. His doctoral research focused on developing advanced optoacoustic neuromodulation technologies for precise and minimally invasive neural stimulation. Following his PhD, Ying continued as a postdoctoral researcher in Cheng's lab, pioneering remote neuromodulation methods, including noninvasive optically generated focused ultrasound and wireless microwave split-ring resonators. Since 2022, he has worked with Alan Jasanoff at MIT, leveraging a novel genetically encoded calcium reporter for functional MRI to explore sensory system dynamics and neural communication. Ying's work has led to multiple first-author publications and US and international patents. He is a recipient of the J. Douglas Tan Postdoctoral Fellowship at MIT and the Lynn's Fellowship at Purdue University.
Accessibility: Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting the Disability Resource Center at 621-3268 (V/TTY).