The SINTN seminar series proudly presents

Marla Feller

The development of functional circuits in the mammalian retina

Marla Feller Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute University of California at Berkeley

Website: Feller lab Web Site

Abstract:

Direction selective responses in the retina are detected at the age of the earliest visual responses, indicating that the precise retinal circuitry mediating direction selectivity is "wired-up" prior to normal visual experience. Hence direction-selective circuits emerge at a time during development when the retina itself is undergoing a remarkable transformation from intrinsically generated retinal waves to visually evoked responses. During this critical transition, what are the mechanisms that guide the emergence of direction-selective circuits? I will present recent studies from my lab in which we explore the maturation of neural circuits that mediate both spontaneous and early light evoked activity.

Recent Papers:

[1]Elstrott et al, "Direction selectivity in the retina is established independent of visual experience and early patterned activity," Neuron, 58, 499-506.

[2]Blankenship et al, "Synaptic and extrasynaptic factors governing glutamatergic retinal waves," Neuron, 62, 230-241, 2009

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