Spring
2016: EEE 4260C
Bioelectrical
Systems
Instructor: Jack W. Judy, Ph.D. Phone: (352)
846-1275 E-mail: jack.judy@ufl.edu
Meeting
Time and Location: Tuesdays 10:40AM -11:30AM, Thursdays 10:40AM-12:30PM
in LAR 330
Credits: 4 credit hours (3 credit hours Lecture + 1 credit hour Lab)
First Most Important Question: Why should I take
this course?
The role of electricity is vitally important in the natural function, scientific study, and therapeutic intervention of biological organisms. Bioelectricity is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on novel technologies and techniques to investigate the electrical properties of biological circuits and systems and potentially manipulate their functionality in order to restore lost function (e.g., paralysis, amputation, Parkinsons diease, etc.).
The field of bioelectricity is more than a 150 years old, with findings from the 1800’s linking electricity to brain activity responsible for carrying out motor functions1. Examples of the impact of the field of bioelectricity include: (1) the discovery of the mechanism of the electrocardiogram (1924 Nobel Prize in Phys. and Med.2);
(2) the use of electrical circuit-analysis techniques to model nerve-cell activity (1963 Nobel Prize in Phys. and Med.3); (3) feedback-control techniques in patch-clamp recording to identify the function of single ion channels in living cells (1991 Nobel Prize in Phys. and Med.4); and
(4) electromagnetic field theory for non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the
body (2003 Nobel Prize in Phys. and Med.5). In addition to past success and impact,
bioelectricity has recently benefited from revolutionary advances in the engineering of
measurement devices, techniques to manipulate electrical discharge patterns of specific cell types,and sophisticated models of bioelectrical systems at exceedingly high temporal and spatial resolutions.
As a result, the field of bioelectricity is positioned to deliver more long-lasting impacts on bothneuroscience research and neurological clinical therapies.
In this course, we will
discuss classical and modern bioelectricity topics, with the goal of illustrating
how engineering principles have been – and continue to be – instrumental in
addressing basic-science questions and facilitating the development of translational
products. Most importantly, we will discuss principles of bioelectrical signaling, the characterization
of neural circuits and systems that serve cardiac and nerve muscles, the design
principles of technology for interfacing with biological systems, and finally
provide an overview of clinical applications and industrial opportunities for
neurotechnology ventures. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, we
will draw upon many technical areas: systems and computational neuroscience, molecular
neurobiology, neurophysiology, micro-electromechanical systems and
nanotechnology, signal processing and information theory, among many others6,7.
Second Most Important Question: Am I ready to take
this course?
Prerequisite: It is expected that students interested in this topic will
have an undergraduate standing in electrical engineering (or with approval
from the instructor) and have taken EEL 3008 (physics of EE) and EEL 3112
(circuits 2).
Third Most Important Question: How the course will
be graded?
Grading: Homework assignments
worth 20%; two midterm exams worth
30% (15% each);
Lab participation and assignments (20%); final exam (30%).
Lab participation and assignments (20%); final exam (30%).
References:
1. G.
Fritsch et al. (1870). Uber die elektrische Erregbarkeit des Grosshirns. Arch.
Anat. Physiol. Wiss. Med. 37, 300–332.
6. K.
Oweiss (ed.), Statistical Signal
Processing for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Academic Press, 1st
Ed, Elsevier, 2010
Plonsey, Robert, and Roger C. Barr.
Bioelectricity: a quantitative approach. Sprin
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