Gabriel A. Silva

Last updated
Professor
Gabriel A. Silva
PhD
Awards
Academic background
Education University of Toronto (BSc, MSc), University of Illinois (PhD), Northwestern University (postdoctoral degree)

Gabriel Alejandro Silva is an American neuroscientist and bioengineer. He is a Professor of Bioengineering and Faculty Endowed Scholar in Engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) as well as the Founding Director of the Center for Engineered Natural Intelligence (CENI) at UCSD.

Contents

Education

Silva had his BSc in human physiology and biophysics and MSc in neuroscience from the University of Toronto in Canada. Afterwards, he proceeded to the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he earned his PhD in bioengineering and neurophysiology. He moved to the Department of Neurology in Northwestern University. After having his postdoctoral fellowship on Nanotechnology and Medicine (IBNAM), he joined the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2003. [1]

Career

Silva's researches focuses on mathematics, physics, and engineering of structure-function dynamics in spatial-temporal geometric networks in the brain, aiming to define the shape and signaling dynamics of individual neurons and astrocytes—the connectivity and geometry of networks of neurons, and networks of interacting brain regions to produce algorithmic and functional properties for the functioning of the human brain.

Silva's earlier works done during his education for Master's degree includes investigating the physiology of astrocyte neural glial cells in the spinal cord and its injury. During his PhD, he modeled the neurophysiology and calcium dynamics of rod photoreceptors neurons in the retina. His thesis also examined the electrophysiology of the retina using "paired-flash electroretinography."

He has worked on mathematical and physical modeling and simulations of neural processes at molecular, cellular, and systems scales using the calcium signaling dynamics of astrocyte neural glial cells. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [ excessive citations ] He has also worked work focuses on the theoretical analysis of dynamic signaling in networks [2] [3] [4] [6] [7] [10] [8] [ excessive citations ]  He has developed a new machine learning architecture that will be able to learn without prior training or exposure to data. [3] [9] [10]

Applied nanotechnology

He previous worked on the development of self assembling nanotechnologies for neural regeneration during his postdoc, and the optimization of chemically functionalized quantum dots to achieve high resolution imaging of cellular structure and calcium dynamics at UCSD. [11] [12] [13] [14] [ excessive citations ] Most recently, in collaboration with Nanovision Biosciences, Silva's group has been one of several labs involved in the development of a surgically implantable optoelectronic retinal neural prosthesis to restore vision [15] [16] [17] [ excessive citations ] Silva's previous published work has addressed traumatic spinal cord injury and reactive gliosis, Alzheimer's disease, retinal prosthesis, and most recently the systems neuroscience of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental disorders. [2] [11] [16] [18] [17] [ excessive citations ]

Honors

Silva in 2017 he was appointed a Jacobs Faculty Endowed Scholar in Engineering, and in 2016 elected into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.... [19] In 2008 he was awarded the YC Fung Young Investigator Award and Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) [20] [21]

He was featured in a piece in the San Diego Tribune "A Scientist's Life: 10 Things UCSD's Gabriel Silva Has Done". [22] His work has been featured and written about in numerous news and popular science sources. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [ excessive citations ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuron</span> Electrically excitable cell found in the nervous system of animals

Within a nervous system, a neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network. Neurons communicate with other cells via synapses, which are specialized connections that commonly use minute amounts of chemical neurotransmitters to pass the electric signal from the presynaptic neuron to the target cell through the synaptic gap.

The development of the nervous system, or neural development (neurodevelopment), refers to the processes that generate, shape, and reshape the nervous system of animals, from the earliest stages of embryonic development to adulthood. The field of neural development draws on both neuroscience and developmental biology to describe and provide insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which complex nervous systems develop, from nematodes and fruit flies to mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nervous tissue</span> Main component of the nervous system

Nervous tissue, also called neural tissue, is the main tissue component of the nervous system. The nervous system regulates and controls body functions and activity. It consists of two parts: the central nervous system (CNS) comprising the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) comprising the branching peripheral nerves. It is composed of neurons, also known as nerve cells, which receive and transmit impulses, and neuroglia, also known as glial cells or glia, which assist the propagation of the nerve impulse as well as provide nutrients to the neurons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glia</span> Support cells in the nervous system

Glia, also called glial cells (gliocytes) or neuroglia, are non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system that do not produce electrical impulses. The neuroglia make up more than one half the volume of neural tissue in our body. They maintain homeostasis, form myelin in the peripheral nervous system, and provide support and protection for neurons. In the central nervous system, glial cells include oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, ependymal cells and microglia, and in the peripheral nervous system they include Schwann cells and satellite cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astrocyte</span> Type of brain cell

Astrocytes, also known collectively as astroglia, are characteristic star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord. They perform many functions, including biochemical control of endothelial cells that form the blood–brain barrier, provision of nutrients to the nervous tissue, maintenance of extracellular ion balance, regulation of cerebral blood flow, and a role in the repair and scarring process of the brain and spinal cord following infection and traumatic injuries. The proportion of astrocytes in the brain is not well defined; depending on the counting technique used, studies have found that the astrocyte proportion varies by region and ranges from 20% to around 40% of all glia. Another study reports that astrocytes are the most numerous cell type in the brain. Astrocytes are the major source of cholesterol in the central nervous system. Apolipoprotein E transports cholesterol from astrocytes to neurons and other glial cells, regulating cell signaling in the brain. Astrocytes in humans are more than twenty times larger than in rodent brains, and make contact with more than ten times the number of synapses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glial fibrillary acidic protein</span> Type III intermediate filament protein

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a protein that is encoded by the GFAP gene in humans. It is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein that is expressed by numerous cell types of the central nervous system (CNS), including astrocytes and ependymal cells during development. GFAP has also been found to be expressed in glomeruli and peritubular fibroblasts taken from rat kidneys, Leydig cells of the testis in both hamsters and humans, human keratinocytes, human osteocytes and chondrocytes and stellate cells of the pancreas and liver in rats.

Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), also known as oligodendrocyte precursor cells, NG2-glia, O2A cells, or polydendrocytes, are a subtype of glia in the central nervous system named for their essential role as precursors to oligodendrocytes. They are typically identified in the human by co-expression of PDGFRA and CSPG4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rostral migratory stream</span> One path neural stem cells take to reach the olfactory bulb


The rostral migratory stream (RMS) is a specialized migratory route found in the brain of some animals along which neuronal precursors that originated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the brain migrate to reach the main olfactory bulb (OB). The importance of the RMS lies in its ability to refine and even change an animal's sensitivity to smells, which explains its importance and larger size in the rodent brain as compared to the human brain, as our olfactory sense is not as developed. This pathway has been studied in the rodent, rabbit, and both the squirrel monkey and rhesus monkey. When the neurons reach the OB they differentiate into GABAergic interneurons as they are integrated into either the granule cell layer or periglomerular layer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuroimmune system</span>

The neuroimmune system is a system of structures and processes involving the biochemical and electrophysiological interactions between the nervous system and immune system which protect neurons from pathogens. It serves to protect neurons against disease by maintaining selectively permeable barriers, mediating neuroinflammation and wound healing in damaged neurons, and mobilizing host defenses against pathogens.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are self-renewing, multipotent cells that firstly generate the radial glial progenitor cells that generate the neurons and glia of the nervous system of all animals during embryonic development. Some neural progenitor stem cells persist in highly restricted regions in the adult vertebrate brain and continue to produce neurons throughout life. Differences in the size of the central nervous system are among the most important distinctions between the species and thus mutations in the genes that regulate the size of the neural stem cell compartment are among the most important drivers of vertebrate evolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radial glial cell</span> Bipolar-shaped progenitor cells of all neurons in the cerebral cortex and some glia

Radial glial cells, or radial glial progenitor cells (RGPs), are bipolar-shaped progenitor cells that are responsible for producing all of the neurons in the cerebral cortex. RGPs also produce certain lineages of glia, including astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Their cell bodies (somata) reside in the embryonic ventricular zone, which lies next to the developing ventricular system.

Neuroregeneration involves the regrowth or repair of nervous tissues, cells or cell products. Neuroregenerative mechanisms may include generation of new neurons, glia, axons, myelin, or synapses. Neuroregeneration differs between the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and the central nervous system (CNS) by the functional mechanisms involved, especially in the extent and speed of repair. When an axon is damaged, the distal segment undergoes Wallerian degeneration, losing its myelin sheath. The proximal segment can either die by apoptosis or undergo the chromatolytic reaction, which is an attempt at repair. In the CNS, synaptic stripping occurs as glial foot processes invade the dead synapse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subgranular zone</span>

The subgranular zone (SGZ) is a brain region in the hippocampus where adult neurogenesis occurs. The other major site of adult neurogenesis is the subventricular zone (SVZ) in the brain.

Gliotransmitters are chemicals released from glial cells that facilitate neuronal communication between neurons and other glial cells. They are usually induced from Ca2+ signaling, although recent research has questioned the role of Ca2+ in gliotransmitters and may require a revision of the relevance of gliotransmitters in neuronal signalling in general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glial scar</span> Mass formed in response to injury to the nervous system

A glial scar formation (gliosis) is a reactive cellular process involving astrogliosis that occurs after injury to the central nervous system. As with scarring in other organs and tissues, the glial scar is the body's mechanism to protect and begin the healing process in the nervous system.

Neuroinflammation is inflammation of the nervous tissue. It may be initiated in response to a variety of cues, including infection, traumatic brain injury, toxic metabolites, or autoimmunity. In the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain and spinal cord, microglia are the resident innate immune cells that are activated in response to these cues. The CNS is typically an immunologically privileged site because peripheral immune cells are generally blocked by the blood–brain barrier (BBB), a specialized structure composed of astrocytes and endothelial cells. However, circulating peripheral immune cells may surpass a compromised BBB and encounter neurons and glial cells expressing major histocompatibility complex molecules, perpetuating the immune response. Although the response is initiated to protect the central nervous system from the infectious agent, the effect may be toxic and widespread inflammation as well as further migration of leukocytes through the blood–brain barrier may occur.

Neurogenesis is the process by which nervous system cells, the neurons, are produced by neural stem cells (NSCs). In short, it is brain growth in relation to its organization. This occurs in all species of animals except the porifera (sponges) and placozoans. Types of NSCs include neuroepithelial cells (NECs), radial glial cells (RGCs), basal progenitors (BPs), intermediate neuronal precursors (INPs), subventricular zone astrocytes, and subgranular zone radial astrocytes, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexei Verkhratsky</span> Ukrainian professor and researcher

Alexei Verkhratsky, sometimes spelled Alexej, is a professor of neurophysiology at the University of Manchester best known for his research on the physiology and pathophysiology of neuroglia, calcium signalling, and brain ageing. He is an elected member and vice-president of Academia Europaea, of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, of the Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia (Spain), of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, of Polish Academy of Sciences, and Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, among others. Since 2010, he is a Ikerbasque Research Professor and from 2012 he is deputy director of the Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience in Bilbao. He is a distinguished professor at Jinan University, China Medical University of Shenyang, and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is an editor-in-chief of Cell Calcium, receiving editor for Cell Death and Disease, and Acta Physiologica and member of editorial board of many academic journals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brain cell</span> Functional tissue of the brain

Brain cells make up the functional tissue of the brain. The rest of the brain tissue is structural or connective called the stroma which includes blood vessels. The two main types of cells in the brain are neurons, also known as nerve cells, and glial cells, also known as neuroglia.

Fiber photometry is a calcium imaging technique that captures 'bulk' or population-level calcium (Ca2+) activity from specific cell-types within a brain region or functional network in order to study neural circuits Population-level calcium activity can be correlated with behavioral tasks, such as spatial learning, memory recall and goal-directed behaviors. The technique involves the surgical implantation of fiber optics into the brains of living animals. The benefits to researchers are that optical fibers are simpler to implant, less invasive and less expensive than other calcium methods, and there is less weight and stress on the animal, as compared to miniscopes. It also allows for imaging of multiple interacting brain regions and integration with other neuroscience techniques. The limitations of fiber photometry are low cellular and spatial resolution, and the fact that animals must be securely tethered to a rigid fiber bundle, which may impact the naturalistic behavior of smaller mammals such as mice.

References

  1. ↑ "Gabriel A. Silva". ucsd.edu. Mathematical Neuroscience Lab. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Chow, S. K.; Yu, D.; MacDonald, C. L.; Buibas, M.; Silva, G. A. (2010). "SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research". ASN Neuro. 2 (1): e00026. doi:10.1042/an20090035. PMC   2810812 . PMID   20001968.
  3. 1 2 3 Buibas, Marius; Silva, Gabriel A. (2010-10-21). "A Framework for Simulating and Estimating the State and Functional Topology of Complex Dynamic Geometric Networks". Neural Computation. 23 (1): 183–214. arXiv: 0908.3934 . doi:10.1162/NECO_a_00065. ISSN   0899-7667. PMID   20964542. S2CID   7598187.
  4. 1 2 Silva, Gabriel A.; Singer, Zakary; Lee, Ian Y.; Chow, Siu-Kei; Buibas, Marius; Yu, Diana (2009-03-01). "Characterization of Calcium-Mediated Intracellular and Intercellular Signaling in the rMC-1 Glial Cell Line". Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. 2 (1): 144–155. doi:10.1007/s12195-008-0039-1. ISSN   1865-5033. PMC   2771886 . PMID   19890481.
  5. ↑ Hashemi, Mahboubeh; Buibas, Marius; Silva, Gabriel A. (2008-05-30). "Automated detection of intercellular signaling in astrocyte networks using the converging squares algorithm". Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 170 (2): 294–299. doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2008.01.013. ISSN   0165-0270. PMC   2637820 . PMID   18328570.
  6. 1 2 Silva, Gabriel A.; Nizar, Krystal; Yu, Diana; Buibas, Marius (2010-08-01). "Mapping the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Calcium Signaling in Cellular Neural Networks Using Optical Flow". Annals of Biomedical Engineering. 38 (8): 2520–2531. doi:10.1007/s10439-010-0005-7. ISSN   1573-9686. PMC   2900593 . PMID   20300851.
  7. 1 2 Silva, Gabriel A.; MacDonald, Christopher (2013). "A positive feedback cell signaling nucleation model of astrocyte dynamics". Frontiers in Neuroengineering. 6: 4. doi: 10.3389/fneng.2013.00004 . ISSN   1662-6443. PMC   3706728 . PMID   23847529.
  8. 1 2 MacDonald, Christopher L.; Bhattacharya, Nirupama; Sprouse, Brian P.; Silva, Gabriel A. (2015-09-15). "Efficient computation of the Grünwald–Letnikov fractional diffusion derivative using adaptive time step memory". Journal of Computational Physics. 297: 221–236. arXiv: 1505.03967 . Bibcode:2015JCoPh.297..221M. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2015.04.048. ISSN   0021-9991. S2CID   31532377.
  9. 1 2 Silva, Gabriel A. (2018-04-17). "The Effect of Signaling Latencies and Node Refractory States on the Dynamics of Networks". arXiv: 1804.07609 [q-bio.NC].
  10. 1 2 Buibas, Marius; Silva, Gabriel A. (2015-05-15). "Algebraic identification of the effective connectivity of constrained geometric network models of neural signaling". arXiv: 1505.03964 [q-bio.NC].
  11. 1 2 Stupp, Samuel I.; Kessler, John A.; Harrington, Daniel A.; Beniash, Elia; Niece, Krista L.; Czeisler, Catherine; Silva, Gabriel A. (2004-02-27). "Selective Differentiation of Neural Progenitor Cells by High-Epitope Density Nanofibers". Science. 303 (5662): 1352–1355. Bibcode:2004Sci...303.1352S. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.1012.1883 . doi:10.1126/science.1093783. ISSN   1095-9203. PMID   14739465. S2CID   6713941.
  12. ↑ Silva, Gabriel A. (2009-08-01), "Neuroscience nanotechnology: Progress, opportunities and challenges", Nanoscience and Technology, Co-Published with Macmillan Publishers Ltd, UK, pp. 251–260, doi:10.1142/9789814287005_0026, ISBN   9789814282680
  13. ↑ Silva, Gabriel A. (2004-03-01). "Introduction to nanotechnology and its applications to medicine". Surgical Neurology. 61 (3): 216–220. doi:10.1016/j.surneu.2003.09.036. ISSN   0090-3019. PMID   14984987.
  14. ↑ Silva, Gabriel A. (2008-12-10). "Nanotechnology approaches to crossing the blood-brain barrier and drug delivery to the CNS". BMC Neuroscience. 9 (3): S4. doi: 10.1186/1471-2202-9-S3-S4 . ISSN   1471-2202. PMC   2604882 . PMID   19091001.
  15. ↑ Kotov, Nicholas A.; Winter, Jessica O.; Clements, Isaac P.; Jan, Edward; Timko, Brian P.; Campidelli, Stéphane; Pathak, Smita; Mazzatenta, Andrea; Lieber, Charles M. (2009). "Nanomaterials for Neural Interfaces". Advanced Materials. 21 (40): 3970–4004. Bibcode:2009AdM....21.3970K. doi:10.1002/adma.200801984. hdl: 2027.42/64336 . ISSN   1521-4095. S2CID   138338465.
  16. 1 2 Mojana, Francesca; Cheng, Lingyun; Bartsch, Dirk-Uwe G.; Silva, Gabriel A.; Kozak, Igor; Nigam, Nitin; Freeman, William R. (2008-08-01). "The Role of Abnormal Vitreomacular Adhesion in Age-related Macular Degeneration: Spectral Optical Coherence Tomography and Surgical Results". American Journal of Ophthalmology. 146 (2): 218–227.e1. doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2008.04.027. ISSN   0002-9394. PMC   2735863 . PMID   18538742.
  17. 1 2 Silva, Gabriel A.; Jin, Sungho; Davidson, Marie C.; Cao, Elizabeth; Pathak, Smita (2006-02-15). "Quantum Dot Applications to Neuroscience: New Tools for Probing Neurons and Glia". Journal of Neuroscience. 26 (7): 1893–1895. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3847-05.2006. ISSN   1529-2401. PMC   6674918 . PMID   16481420.
  18. ↑ Silva, Gabriel A. (2007-02-01). "Nanotechnology approaches for drug and small molecule delivery across the blood brain barrier". Surgical Neurology. 67 (2): 113–116. doi:10.1016/j.surneu.2006.08.033. ISSN   0090-3019. PMID   17254859.
  19. ↑ "Gabriel Silva Gabriel A. Silva, Ph.D. To be Inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite - AIMBE".
  20. ↑ "Prof. Silva awarded YC Fung young investigator award and medal". Mathematical Neuroscience Lab.
  21. ↑ "Y.C. Fung Early Career Award". cdn.asme.org.
  22. ↑ "A scientist's life: 10 things UCSD's Gabriel Silva has done". Mathematical Neuroscience Lab.
  23. ↑ "Catching calcium waves could provide Alzheimer's insights". ScienceDaily.
  24. ↑ "Self-assembling scaffold for spinal-cord repair: 'Liquid' bridge could help severed nerve cells grow". June 6, 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-06-06.
  25. ↑ "Catching calcium waves could provide Alzheimer's insights" – via www.eurekalert.org.
  26. ↑ Abbott, Alison (August 1, 2003). "Biology's new dimension". Nature. 424 (6951): 870–872. doi: 10.1038/424870a . PMID   12931155. S2CID   2615150.
  27. ↑ Service, Robert F. (October 3, 2003). "Molecular Scaffolding Helps Raise a Crop of Neurons". Science. 302 (5642): 46–47. doi:10.1126/science.302.5642.46. PMID   14526056. S2CID   10729839 – via science.sciencemag.org.
  28. ↑ NU stem-cell gel advances spinal injury research
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.