Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded a Project Grant totaling $228,045 to the University of California, Berkeley, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program. The award was obligated on February 1, 2026, with a project completion date of January 31, 2028. The research focuses on developing ultrafast wireless voltage imaging capabilities using event-based cameras (ECs)—a novel sensor technology that asynchronously detects brightness changes at the pixel level rather than capturing images at fixed rates. This approach enables significantly faster temporal resolution, lower latency, reduced power consumption, and minimal data output compared to conventional frame-based imaging systems.

The project aims to pioneer the application of event-based cameras for capturing voltage variations across large fields-of-view in neuronal tissue, addressing a critical gap in current neuroscience imaging methods. By integrating event-based camera technology into existing microscopy platforms and developing new acquisition and processing methods, the research will enable neuroscientists to better understand neural substrates of complex behaviors by capturing physiologically relevant membrane potential signals with unprecedented speed and spatial coverage in freely behaving animals. The deliverables include methodological advances, hardware integration, data processing algorithms, and technical validation that will establish event-based cameras as a practical tool for voltage imaging in neuroscience research.