Widener Magazine Volume 29 Number 01 Fall ’18
W idener at W indesheim 9
Old Main—150 Year s of Housing Leader s 12
NEUROSCIENCE Unlocking Brain Power, page 4
Unlocking Brain Power By Jessica Reyes
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he human brain is home to billions of neurons—as many as there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy—forming connections that define who we are and what we do. The brain is science’s greatest mystery. Behind the doors of the Medical Imaging and Brain-Computer Interface Laboratory in Kirkbride Hall, faculty-student research is underway to demystify this roughly three-pound gray mass—and to change the way we use it every day.
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From left: Professor Xiaomu Song at work. Insert and right: Students train with the neuroscience equipment.
Research led by Widener University Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Xiaomu Song contributes to the growing interdisciplinary study of neuroscience and has real-world applications that could touch the lives of us all. Imagine being able to detect Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases years before a patient shows any symptoms. Imagine having an alarm sound on your cell phone if you doze off behind the wheel of a car. Imagine an amputee being able to control a prosthesis using only the mind. “We’ve observed this in sci-fi movies like Star Wars,” said Song. “Now, it’s becoming real.” Song and a team of biomedical and electrical engineering undergraduate and graduate student researchers are making advances in three prominent areas. 6
Brain-Computer Interface: Powering a Wheelchair Widener student researchers huddle together in the hallway outside the laboratory—and there is a buzz in the air. One student, wearing a headset connected wirelessly to a laptop, sits in an electrical-powered wheelchair. Without physically acting, the student imagines moving his left hand; the wheelchair veers left. He thinks about moving his right hand; the wheelchair goes right. He smiles; the wheelchair rolls forward. This is the astounding world of brain-computer interface—technology that creates a communication pathway between a wired brain and a device, such as a laptop, cell phone, or prosthesis.
“Brain-computer interface uses brain imaging or electrophysiological sensors to acquire brain signals,” Song said. “We analyze the acquired brain signals to identify brain intentions and associate them with the operation of a device.” Song and student researchers have successfully mindpowered a toy radio-controlled car and quadcopter, followed by an electric wheelchair acquired in 2016. This year, a team of students is working to make the wheelchair run more robustly and reliably. Currently, they are improving the data processing and will start the system testing soon. The field is on the cusp of changing the lives of those who have damaged hearing, impaired sight, and mobility disabilities—for example, wounded military personnel. 7
It also has implications in everyday life. Consider a future in which you’ll be able to think ‘dial Mom’ and your cell phone will respond without you lifting a finger. Or you will be able to turn up the temperature just by thinking about it. Neural Recording System: Sports-Related Concussions Researchers have been warning for years about the dangers of mild-traumatic brain injuries—concussions—in sports like football and soccer. Too many blows to the head, they say, can cause short-term headaches, memory loss, mood changes, and blurry vision, as well as long-term effects that are debilitating and even deadly. Despite warnings, reliable diagnoses and treatment evaluation of sports-related concussions and protocols for treatment and monitoring are hard to develop without sufficient studies. That is where Song and his students step in. In 2016, Song received a $91,500 research grant from the National Science Foundation to purchase a neural recording system that integrates electroencephalography
degree in electrical engineering and physics and is now pursuing his master’s degree at Widener. “When you think about the college experience, you think ‘Will I meet friends?’ or ‘What will I major in?’ This student-research is something that you don’t think about. It’s in the background of what you do, but is so important.” Functional MRI Research: Early Diagnosis When students study the brain, they learn the different areas and functions: the hippocampus for memory, the prefrontal cortex for decision making, and the cerebellum for coordination. The reality, however, is that we never use just one area of our brains. Even in a resting state, all the regions interact—unless, of course, something is going wrong. To look at these interactions, medical doctors use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity by detecting blood flow changes in a matter of seconds. All of these images are then used to form an image sequence of the brain over time. Using data gathered by doctors at Harvard Medical School and Duke University Medical Center, Song has developed multiple quantitative tools for fMRI data analysis. He removes “noise” from the data, analyzes the functional connectivity and activation patterns in response to some stimuli or resting state, and investigates test-retest reliability of fMRI in task and resting state conditions. By looking at these functional patterns, Song and other researchers are trying to develop early indicators of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s diseases. “We want to try to establish quantitative criteria to provide tools for early diagnosis,” Song said. “For example, people with Alzheimer’s disease have apparent symptoms when they reach the middle or late phases of the disease, but in the early phases, there are almost no symptoms. We could help people more if we could find this in early phases and start treatment sooner.” Luis Aguilar, who graduated in May with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, said the opportunities and equipment offered to student researchers at Widener are life-changing. “There are a lot of good things going on here right now,” Aguilar said. “I wouldn’t have developed a passion for neuroengineering had I not met Dr. Song and come to this lab.” Song and Widener students like Aguilar are turning science fiction into reality. W
By looking at these functional patterns, Song and other researchers are trying to develop early indicators of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases. (EEG) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRs). With the device, sensors placed on the scalp can capture neural activity and changes in oxygen concentration in brain tissue. In partnership with Widener’s athletic trainer and team physician, Widener student-athletes who have had sportsrelated concussions undergo testing with Song and his student researchers. “We try to develop quantitative tools to provide an evaluation of their condition,” Song said. “Different student-athletes might have different tolerances for headaches and other discomfort, for example. It is more reliable to use quantitative ways to find how serious the concussion was and how well the student-athlete is recovering.” It takes time to collect and analyze this type of data, but the multiyear, interdisciplinary project could inform the tools used in the future for concussion diagnoses and treatment. “It is great to be part of this type of research,” said Alexander Wajda, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s 8
Widener at Windesheim During time off from the competition, students were able to tour the Amsterdam region, including the Zwolle city center as pictured here.
By Emily Barrett
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tudying abroad has become a quintessential undergraduate right of passage that enables students to experience new cultures, broaden horizons, and journey outside of their comfort zones. For Widener students, studying overseas is also about making a global impact. Meet Megan Cullison. In June 2017, Megan, a junior civil engineering student, travelled to the Netherlands to participate in an international research competition held at Windesheim University in Zwolle, a new international partner of Widener University. Megan was one of three Widener undergraduates chosen to visit Windesheim. 9