Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal Defense Timely Brain Formations of 3D Spatial Navigation via Vibration Sensation for the Visually Impaired By Spyridon Manganas

Ph.D. Committee:  Drs. Nikolaos Bourbakis (advisor), Soon Chung, Bin Wang, Miltiadis Alamaniotis (University of Texas, San Antonio), and Konstantinos Michalopoulos (Convergent Engineering, Inc.)

ABSTRACT:

Human brain analysis and understanding pose several challenges due to the great complexity of the structural organization and the functional connectivity that characterizes the human brain. The ability of the brain to adapt in dynamic changes over time such as normal aging, neurodegenerative diseases or congenital brain malformations renders the brain’s exploration a particularly demanding and difficult task.

In recent years, advances in brain imaging modalities and lately the multimodal fusion combined with improvements in related technologies have greatly assisted the development of brain maps by providing insights regarding the overall brain structure and functionality. Even though, the existence of sensor and motor maps for the human brain is known to some degree, the formation process is still subject to research.

Significant interest presents the case of studying brain activities and mapping of 3D sensation and representation for visually impaired people relevant to navigation. In an effort to extend the current research in the field of spatial navigation, 3D space sensation and representation for blind born individuals a novel Brain Mapping Model (BMM) is proposed within this PhD proposal. The proposed BMM is based on the synergy of state-of-the-art computational techniques to associate the brain regional activities, triggered by alternative (vibrations) sensations, related to 3D space orientation. Overall, the overarching goal of this BMM is to contribute to the further exploration and better understanding of the alternative space perception of visually impaired population.

Spyridon Manganas (manganas.2@wright.edu) earned his diploma degree from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras, Greece. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a graduate research assistant at the Center of Assistive Research Technologies (CART). His research interests center around the area of brain imaging using multimodal approaches.