Living in the Cold -- Adaptations in Hibernation

NIH Neuroscience Series Seminar Dr. Li ’ s lab studies the structure and function of retinal synapses and circuits. Although they know the basic structure and major cell types of the retina, it remains much of a " black box " in terms of the connections and functions of these neurons. Their long-term research goal is to understand how the neuronal circuits are wired in this " black box " under normal conditions and how the circuits are altered during pathological processes. Both pieces of information will be crucial for the design of biological and/or prosthetic interventions aiming to restore vision in many types of blindness caused by retinal degenerative diseases. Here are some of the research topics: 1) They exploit a combination of anatomical, physiological, and imaging approaches to study synaptic connectivity using in vitro slice and flat-mount preparations of the ground squirrel retina. This is an excellent model system to study cone vision, as the ground squirrel is one of the rare mammals whose retina is cone-dominated and resembles the fovea of human retina. 2) They study synaptic alteration and adaptation in the ground squirrel retina during hibernation - another unique feature of the ground squirrel. 3) They investigate bioenergetics of the retina with a focus on cone photoreceptor mitochondria structure, function and dynamics. 4) They use a combination of genetically engineered mouse lines to study the development of certain synapses and circuits in the mouse ...
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