Current Projects & Techniques

Current projects in the lab

Functional importance of gap junctions (or electrical synapses) between photoreceptors in the early steps of the visual process
Control of rod/cone electrical coupling by light and circadian clocks (daily plasticity)
Role(s) of the rod/cone pathway in the image-forming and the non-image-forming visual systems
Transcriptomic analysis of the circadian clock control of retinal functions and cell viability

Techniques

2-photon microscopy
Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy (microscopes: Zeiss LSM-510, LSM-780, LSM-800 with Airyscan)
Electrophysiology: single and paired patch-clamp recording of mouse photoreceptors; loose-patch recording of ganglion cells
Fluorescence Assisted Cell Sorting (FACS) and RNA sequencing and analysis
Mouse genetics: generation and validation of retinal-cell-type-specific mouse lines deficient in clock function (Bmal1-/-) or electrical coupling (Cx36-/-)
Behavioral tests: optokinetic/optomotor reflex test, wheel running activity (circadian rhythm, entrainment, masking), pupillary light reflex
High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (EC) of dopamine and melatonin
Computational modeling of retinal circuits (photoreceptor network) (Matlab)