CollinPreszler

Despite recent work and developments, the field of neuroscience still represents one of the last frontiers for mankind. Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s are recognized as a major challenge for medicine and neuromodulation techniques, including electrical stimulation, have demonstrated some promise. Electrical stimulation has also been at the forefront of neuroprosthetics and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), but there are obstacles to both applications – namely, limitations in our understanding of how cells respond. As such, we aim to shed light on the response of neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes to electrical stimulation using intracortical microstimulation and two-photon imaging for in vivo monitoring.

Collin received dual B.S. degrees in biomedical and electrical engineering from the University of Arizona. While there, he worked in the Multi-Scale Brain Imaging Lab (MSBIL) under Dr. Elizabeth Hutchinson using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyze and identify markers of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke. He also worked under Dr. Philip Gutruf designing and fabricating wireless spinal cord stimulators for neuropathic pain. Collin plans to continue developing his understanding of neurostimulation for disease treatment and prosthetic applications.