CAREER: Cellular determinants of visual system function and development

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

The scientific goal of this project is to understand the mechanisms by which the external environment shapes the way the nervous system is wired. The brains of developing organisms face an immense challenge since they must allow the organisms to function within their environment even while the nervous system is not yet fully developed. It is not fully known how the brain achieves the balance between early function and the need to remain flexible. One strategy employed by the brain to achieve this is through a process called neural plasticity, which allows brain circuits to adapt to patterns of sensory input received from the external environment. This project uses the developing visual system of frog tadpoles as a model for early brain development. Experiments will study the correlation between the developmental emergence of visually-guided swimming behavior to the properties of tiny electrical signals generated in the tadpole brain in response to visual stimuli. This will allow investigators to first map neural circuits involved in processing visual stimuli and then to understand the role of the visual environment in building this circuitry through neural plasticity. For example, if visual input is required for proper wiring of visual circuits, then tadpoles raised in a dark environment or under conditions in which communication between the eye and brain is disrupted, are expected to develop abnormally. This study will also focus on mechanisms by which the brain can adapt to deficits in sensory input to achieve normal function. Together, these experiments will provide important insight into the mechanisms by which the brain's complex circuitry emerges during development and which allow it to adapt to a changing environment. A second goal of this project is to develop an educational program which will allow high-school students from underrepresented minority groups to engage first-hand in this research. This program will allow for two students each year to come to Brown and participate in a basic Neuroscience course and work in Dr. Aizenman's laboratory over the summer. The ultimate goal is to encourage these students to pursue a career in the life sciences by providing first-hand laboratory experience and mentoring. In addition, the program will also provide training opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students in the laboratory.