My research interests are directed at understanding the structure and function of the vertebrate retina. At present there are two major projects in the laboratory. The first project is concerned with the modulation of horizontal cell activity in the teleost fish retina.
Horizontal cells are neurons in the vertebrate retina involved in the processing of form vision.
We are investigating how the properties of horizontal cells change depending on the level of ambient illumination and the retinal mechanisms responsible for producing such changes. This work will help us better understand how form vision processing by the retina is altered when the total amount of illumination in the scene changes. Intracellular microelectrode recording and dye injection are the primary techniques being used in these investigations. The second project utilizes a technique to image levels of calcium ions inside living ganglion and amacrine cells in mammalian retina. The goal of some of this work is to identify signalling molecules in the retina by identifying the neurons affected by putative neurotransmitters or neuromodulators.