Florida professor using virtual reality to study brain development

(NewsNation) — A University of South Florida medical engineering professor is using virtual reality to map the brain in a way that could help researchers understand developmental disorders such as autism and treat brain injuries more efficiently.

The project received $3.3 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health to help Professor George Spirou expand his research on the part of the brain that processes sound.

The area of focus, known as the calyx of Held, is the largest nerve terminal in the human brain. Auditory dysfunction can be the source of disorder symptoms, such as autism, according to a university news release.

Spirou is using high-resolution imaging technology and image analysis to create a “developmental timeline for any neural system in the brain,” according to the release.

Spirou and his doctoral student Daniel Heller are using virtual reality to look at the neurons they capture in images and analyze the synapses in an immersive way. Ultimately, they hope to identify over the next five years which signals are behind the creation of the neural system that processes sound.

“Our findings could also pave the way for innovative strategies to repair and reconnect damaged neural circuits affected by disease and injuries later in life,” Spirou said in the release.

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