Talk Title: Visualizing the Unseen: Perceptographer – A Pioneering AI Paradigm for Brain-Computer Interaction

Speaker:  Elia Shahbazi

Location: HBK 2105 and Zoom

Abstract:  Understanding the complexities of human perception is a fundamental challenge in neuroscience. We have recently developed an innovative approach called Perceptography to visualize intricate perceptual distortions resulting from localized brain stimulation in the inferotemporal (IT) cortex. Perceptography leverages machine learning to create and refine specific image distortions that are challenging for animals to distinguish from the effects of cortical stimulation. In this talk, I will present Perceptographer, a groundbreaking, customizable framework for visualizing brain-stimulation-induced perceptual events across various regions of the visual cortex. By overcoming the limitations of existing image generation models in handling complex distortions, Perceptographer opens new pathways for exploring and understanding the intricate phenomena of brain induced perception.

Bio:  Elia Shahbazi is a trailblazing computational neuroscientist whose diverse expertise spans applied and pure mathematics, software engineering, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurial leadership. In 2018, Elia joined the NIH as a Research Scientist Fellow in the Unit of Neuron, Behavior, and Circuits. As a computational neuroscientist, he has been at the forefront of merging AI with neuroscience and bio-related sciences.