Prof. Yaniv Assaf
Prof. Yaniv Assaf is a neuroscientist and a biophysicist that joined Tel Aviv University on October 2004. Prof. Assaf received his graduate degrees in chemistry from Tel Aviv University followed by post-doctorate fellowships at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and later on at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The focus of the lab is exploring brain microstructure and brain networks in relation to neuroplasticity and behavioral characteristics using MRI. Over the last 20 years, we have developed numerous methods to explore brain microstructure using MRI beyond its conventional resolution. Characterizing layers’ architecture in the cortex, axon diameter distributions in the white matter and system level connectivity of these properties have been the main achievements of the lab in the last two decades.
Implementing the methodological back-bone to explore brain plasticity gained significant observations on how the brain reshapes itself in response to cognitive experience. We have revealed new aspects of brain plasticity both in the time (rapid structural changes within minutes) and spatial (whole system connectivity remodeling) domains.