Neuroscience research needs help from many fields, including engineering. Dr. Talia Lerner describes some of the engineering tools that she uses to study neural circuits in animal models, especially involving dopamine. She is a professor and basic science researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago, and she studies these circuits in the hopes of improving mental health diagnoses and treatments. Dr. Lerner also shares her thoughts on what doctors, scientists, and engineers will tackle in future neuroscience work. Related to this episode: • Dr. Talia Lerner’s lab, The Lerner Lab: http://lernerlab.org/ • Videos of neurons visualized with new techniques: http://lernerlab.org/research/ • Article on some common genetic links among depression, schizophrenia, autism, and other conditions: http://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/researchers-just-discovered-a-genetic-link-between-alcoholism-autism-bipolar-disorder-depression-and-schizophrenia • Neurotransmitters (such as glutamate), on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotransmitter • Neuromodulators (such as serotonin, dopamine), on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromodulation • Synapses (or neuronal connections), on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synapse • Action potentials (or neuronal signals), on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_potential • Karl Deisseroth’s Lab at Stanford: https://web.stanford.edu/group/dlab/ • Optogenetics resources: https://web.stanford.edu/group/dlab/optogenetics/index.html • GFP (green fluorescent protein), at Connecticut College: https://www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/GFP-1.htm • Recombinant DNA, at Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/biotech-dna-technology/dna-cloning-tutorial/v/dna-cloning-and-recombinant-dna • CLARITY resources: http://clarityresourcecenter.org/ • Article on the history of hydrogels: http://www.jbiomeds.com/biomedical-sciences/history-and-applications-of-hydrogels.php?aid=7218 • NeuWrite West (formerly Stanford Neuroblog): http://www.neuwritewest.org/ • Berkeley Science Review (science news): http://berkeleysciencereview.com/ • Carry the One Radio (podcast): http://www.carrytheoneradio.com/ • Viral neuronal tracing, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_neuronal_tracing • Article on using the engineered rabies virus against brain cancer: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/02/how-stop-brain-cancer-rabies • Ed Callaway, neuroscientist: http://callaway.salk.edu/ • Ian Wickersham, neuroscientist: http://wickershamlab.org/ian-wickersham/ • Biosafety levels, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/training/QuickLearns/biosafety/ Our closing music is “Late for School” by Bleeptor, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.