Neuroscience Seminar Series - Dr. Polina Anikeeva - In-Person Only

About this event

Please join us

Thursday, November 5, 2026

4:00pm – 5:00pm CST

CRA 12.110

for a Guest Lecture by

Dr. Polina Anikeeva

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Bioelectronics Tools to Probe Brain-Body Communication

Bidirectional communication between the brain and the body is essential for maintaining homeostasis, and it is increasingly recognized that sensory signals from the peripheral organs contribute to cognitive process such reward, motivation, and affect. Although numerous technologies have been developed to study brain dynamics, the tools to probe peripheral neural circuits remain sparse. To address this, our group is developing multifunctional bioelectronic interfaces for modulating and recording gastrointestinal neurophysiology. These tools build on advances in fiber-based neurotechnology granting optogenetic and pharmacological access to gut circuits in freely moving mice. Using these gut fibers, we uncover contributions of colon-brain vagal circuits in arousal and exploration. My talk will also discuss a flexible fiber-based functional imaging platform that enables high-resolution visualization of enteric circuits in the colon, while also revealing vasculature, motility patterns, and enabling local drug delivery. I will then show the application of this platform in a mouse model of colitis, where it illuminates the chronic effects of acute inflammation on enteric neurophysiology underscoring the need for neuronal biomarkers for conditions such as post-infectious irritable bowel disorders. Finally, we will discuss how gut-brain circuits can be manipulated via synthetic magnetic nanomaterials targeted specifically to the cells of interest. This magnetic approach relies on minimally invasive injections of nanoparticle solutions into the peripheral ganglia and subsequent remote control via externally applied weak magnetic fields. Together our fiber-based and magnetic neurotechnologies empower mechanistic studies of body-brain communication during complex behavior, helping advance our understanding of gastrointestinal dysfunction associated with neurological and psychiatric conditions.

THIS TALK IS IN-PERSON ONLY. THERE WILL BE NO VIRTUAL OPTION.