Brain Power: Graduate Student Daniel Van Zant Explores How AI Could Help Test Brain Function Theories

Remarkably, researchers have successfully created a 3D image map of the central brain of Drosophila melanogaster , commonly known as the fruit fly. The new resource, called the fruit fly connectome, provides a revolutionary map of every neuron and synaptic connection in an adult fruit fly’s brain. Like many other researchers, Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience Ph.D. student Daniel Van Zant is excited about the possibilities this powerful new tool will unleash.  

As part of his dissertation, Van Zant is working to develop an automated platform that enables neuroscientists to quickly test and refine their theories about brain function using the fruit fly brain data. This innovative approach combines artificial intelligence (AI) with a complete map of fruit fly brain connections to run virtual experiments. His testing system would serve as an initial benchmark for new theories and help identify promising ideas that warrant further investigation through traditional experimental methods.   

“This project addresses a crucial need in neuroscience research which provides a systematic way to quickly and efficiently validate theories before investing significant time and resources in laboratory experiments,” stated Van Zant. “Theoretical neuroscientists have historically produced groundbreaking theories that have revolutionized our understanding of the brain, such as the concept of neurotransmitters and the role of dopamine in reward systems. The development of tools to accelerate this theoretical validation process represents a significant opportunity to advance the field.”  

For this project, Van Zant is working with a team from Columbia University that created a tool called FlyBrainLab, which is used by computational and theoretical neuroscientists. Van Zant is in the process of implementing his system into FlyBrainLab.    

“My ultimate research goal is to hopefully accelerate the development of more robust theories about brain function, which could lead to improved success rates in clinical neuroscience trials and better treatments for neurological conditions,” noted Van Zant.   

Much of Van Zant’s research is performed in the Gruber AI Sandbox, located in the S.E. Wimberly Library on Florida Atlantic’s Boca Raton campus. Established in 2019, the Sandbox provides a creative space where students of all levels—and in all fields of study—can actively learn about and utilize AI technologies.  

“The Sandbox has provided a place where I can collaborate, discuss and test ideas,” shared Van Zant. “I can discuss initial concepts, draw up a research idea on a whiteboard and, of course, use the beefy computing equipment to build out an initial idea. Having all of that in one place allows for a powerful group flow state.”

His many accomplishments include a fellowship at the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) that began in fall 2023. Van Zant works for a NIDA-funded group, comprised of researchers from the University of Florida, New York University and Florida Atlantic University, who are tasked with understanding harmful novel psychoactive substances and reporting their results. Together with his advisor, Elan Barenholtz, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, associate director of the FAU Center for Future Mind and director, FAU Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Lab, the pair lead the web monitoring and machine learning team.   

“We monitor Reddit for emerging substances, and we are working on a paper to use a cocomplex systems model to predict fentanyl overdoses,” stated Van Zant. “We were able to successfully predict when emergency calls about overdoses would occur with over 90 percent accuracy.”  

Currently, Van Zant is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award Fellow. He is also a member of the Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory (MPCR), which is housed within the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences in the Schmidt College of Science, and he has partnered with the FAU Center for Future Mind. As a Ph.D. student, Van Zant is primarily based out of Florida Atlantic’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, located on the John D. MacArthur campus.    

“One of the main things that attracted me to the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute—and made it a clear first choice when I was selecting my Ph.D. program—were the many faculty in the Brain Institute who were involved in the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences,” shared Van Zant. “The Complex Systems classes I have taken, the seminars I have attended and the many faculty I have had the opportunity to interact with there have been extremely valuable to my research.”  

Van Zant started as a Florida Atlantic student in August 2022, and he expects to cap off his education with a Ph.D. in spring 2027. After graduation, Van Zant hopes to continue the work he began in his dissertation.   

“There are several labs collaborating on mapping all of the connections in the mouse brain, and they are set to be wrapping up around the time I graduate,” said Van Zant. “When that dataset comes out, it will be absolutely enormous, and we will need good tools to analyze it. My hope is to adapt the tool I am building for theory validation using the fruit fly connectome to that new dataset and continue accelerating theoretical neuroscience research.”