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University of Pennsylvania
Department of Neuroscience
123 Anatomy-Chemistry Bldg.
37th and Service Drive
Philadephia, PA 19104-6058
Office phone: 215.898.9228
Lab: 123 Anatomy-Chemistry Bldg.
Lab phone: 215.898.7536
Fax: 215.898.6228
E-mail: peter@retina.anatomy.upenn.edu
Research Interests
Our broad goal in studying the retina is to connect psychophysics to
biophysics. We wish to relate quantitative measures of visual performance
(behavior) to their underlying causal mechanisms (neural circuits, channels,
and molecules). For example, we measure how efficiently the retina transfers
a low contrast image from photoreceptors through its neural circuits
to the brain. To do this, we present visual stimuli to the retina in
vitro and measure the rate and timing of ganglion cell spiking to determine
which code is most efficient. Further, we measure the rate and timing
of synaptic vesicle release to learn how these quantized signals efficiently
generate the ganglion cell's code. Finally, we study certain biochemical
signaling cascades to learn how circuits amplify their signals and how
synaptic sensitivity is modulated (minutes to hours) to match gradual
shifts in the environment.
Graduate Groups
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