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Excitable Properties of Neurons
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JOSEPH C. CALLAWAY, Ph.D.
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Education
Research InterestsResearch is focused on the integration of synaptic inputs in the dendrites of individual CNS neurons, the regional properties of neurons, the interaction between pairs of synaptically connected neurons, and the plasticity of synaptic inputs. Studies are conducted mainly on thin slice preparations of rat cerebellum though identifiable neurons in slice preparations of other parts of the brain are also utilized. Concurrent whole cell patch electrophysiology and high-speed fluorescence imaging is used to measure signals throughout the dendrites of individual neurons. Imaging studies focus on calcium and sodium ion changes in the soma and dendrites of cerebellar Purkinje cells. Voltage sensitive dyes are also used to access the spatial extent of synaptic inputs. Synaptic inputs are activated by extracellular stimulus of appropriate axons or by simultaneous recording of a presynaptic neuron. The laboratory is equipped to visually patch one or more neurons on the surface of a thin slice using DIC optics. Imaging of calcium transients while recording potentials from synaptic inputs is used to examine the effects of local dendritic integration on the amplitude and extent of calcium elevation in the dendrites and to determine the contribution of this calcium to long term depression of excitatory synaptic inputs in Purkinje cells. Recent Publications
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