Killam Seminar Series: Decoding the Diversity of Neuronal Nanostructures

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosicence, Université Laval

Decoding the Diversity of Neuronal Nanostructures With AI-Assisted Nanoscopy

Abstract: Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic transmission is challenging in part because synapses are tiny, exhibit a wide range of shapes and internal structures and undergo activity-dependent plasticity. Optical nanoscopy allows us to characterize the molecular dynamics and interactions of synaptic proteins at their scale: the nanoscale. Developing AI-assisted frameworks for optical nanoscopy allows real-time optimization of multi-modal live-cell imaging as well as for quantitative high throughput image analysis. We developed AI approaches for: 1) quantitative analysis of neuronal protein organization in optical nanoscopy images and 2) the optimization of image acquisition schemes, especially in living neuronal samples. This allows us to characterize activity-dependent remodeling of synaptic nanostructures and localized modulation of synaptic activity. The development of data-driven microscopy is transforming our ability to discover and characterize rare phenomena that may influence synaptic connections and thus to discover new mechanisms influencing the proper functioning of our brain.

Bio: Flavie Lavoie-Cardinal is an is an Associate Professor to the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Université Laval, Québec, Canada, and a NSERC Tier 2 Canadian Research Chair in Intelligent Nanoscopy of Cellular Plasticity. She is also a principal investigator at the CERVO Brain Research Center and the Health and Life Science research axis leader at the Institute for Intelligence and Data in Québec city. She obtained her PhD in Chemistry in 2011, followed by two postdoctoral fellowships, one of which was in the group of Prof. Dr. Dr. Stefan Hell (2014 Chemistry Nobel Prize) on the development of super-resolution microscopy techniques. She now leads a research group working the interface of optical microscopy, neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI). Her transdisciplinary research program aims at developing novel AI-assisted bioimaging strategies to uncover the molecular signature of altered synaptic plasticity, leading to neurodegeration or cognitive impairment.

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