About the Seminar

The brain is a highly complex and dynamic chemical system. The primary mode of chemical communication between brain cells is called neurotransmission; it is well accepted that disruptions in neurotransmission underpin the complex behavioral phenotypes of psychiatric disease. However, such disruptions are very difficult to define because it is greatly challenging to quantify the chemical messengers of neurotransmission (neurotransmitters) in an intact brain. This lack of definition of the roles that neurotransmitters play in disease makes it extremely difficult to accurately diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders. This talk discusses novel frontiers in developing electroanalytical tools for monitoring neurotransmitters in vivo in the context of depression, the most common psychiatric disorder. Development and application of micro-engineered tools to in vivo and stem cell models of depression are discussed as a means towards personalized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for psychiatric illnesses.