Andrew Huberman, PhD
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Neurosciences, School of Medicine and Section of Neurobiology in the Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego
Research: “Molecular Determinants of Synaptic Target Choice in the Developing Visual System”
Research
All of our behaviors, thoughts and perceptions stem from the activity of neural circuits: highly precise sets of connections formed between specific types of neurons.
The three major goals of our laboratory are to:
- Understand the functional architecture of the neural circuits that enable us to see and respond to particular aspects of the visual environment
- Discover how those circuits achieve specificity of their connections during development
- Develop strategies to replenish functional visual circuits in response to injury or disease
Extending from these studies of the healthy brain is the exciting opportunity to address whether the mechanisms that assemble functionally precise visual circuits during development can be reactivated in response to diseases that normally cause irreversible blindness, such as glaucoma. To that end, we are using molecular genetic approaches to preserve and re-wire damaged visual circuits, and then testing what sorts of visual perceptions and behaviors those circuits can support.
A genetically identified retinal ganglion cell (RGC) expressing green fluorescent protein. In red are the processes of the interneurons that connect with this RGC and in blue are other RGCs and interneurons.RGCssuch as this one connect to the brain and thus are essential for vision.
Publications
Huberman AD, Clandinin TC, Baier H (2010) Molecular and cellular mechanisms of lamina-specific axon targeting. Cold Spring Harb. Perspect. Biol. 2:a001743.
Huberman AD, Wei W, Elstrott J, Stafford BK, Feller MB, Barres BA (2009) Genetic identification of an On-Off direction selective retinal ganglion cell subtype reveals a layer-specific subcortical map of posterior motion. Neuron 62:327-334.
Huberman AD, Manu M, Koch SM, Susman MW, Brosius Lutz A, Ullian EM, Baccus SA, Barres BA (2008) Architecture and activity-mediated refinement of axonal projections from a mosaic of genetically-identified retinal ganglion cells. Neuron 59:425-438.
Huberman AD, Feller MB, Chapman B (2008) Mechanisms underlying development of visual maps and receptive fields. Annual Revi. Neurosci. 31:479-509.
Huberman AD, Speer CM, Chapman B. (2006) Spontaneous retinal activity mediates development of ocular dominance columns and binocular receptive fields in V1. Neuron 52:247-245.
Huberman AD, Murray KD, Warland DK, Feldheim DA, Chapman B (2005) Ephrin-As mediate targeting of eye-specific projections to the lateral geniculate nucleus. Nature Neurosci., 8:1013-1021.
Huberman AD, Wang GY, Liets LC, Collins OA, Chapman B, Chalupa LM (2003) Eye-specific retinogeniculate segregation independent of normal neuronal activity. Science 300:994-998.
Huberman AD, Stellwagen D, Chapman B (2002) Decoupling eye-specific segregation from lamination in the lateral geniculate nucleus. J. Neurosci. 22:9419-9429.
Huberman AD, Wei W, Elstrott J, Stafford BK, Feller MB, Barres BA (2009) Genetic identification of an On-Off direction selective retinal ganglion cell subtype reveals a layer-specific subcortical map of posterior motion. Neuron 62:327-334.
Huberman AD, Manu M, Koch SM, Susman MW, Brosius Lutz A, Ullian EM, Baccus SA, Barres BA (2008) Architecture and activity-mediated refinement of axonal projections from a mosaic of genetically-identified retinal ganglion cells. Neuron 59:425-438.
Huberman AD, Feller MB, Chapman B (2008) Mechanisms underlying development of visual maps and receptive fields. Annual Revi. Neurosci. 31:479-509.
Huberman AD, Speer CM, Chapman B. (2006) Spontaneous retinal activity mediates development of ocular dominance columns and binocular receptive fields in V1. Neuron 52:247-245.
Huberman AD, Murray KD, Warland DK, Feldheim DA, Chapman B (2005) Ephrin-As mediate targeting of eye-specific projections to the lateral geniculate nucleus. Nature Neurosci., 8:1013-1021.
Huberman AD, Wang GY, Liets LC, Collins OA, Chapman B, Chalupa LM (2003) Eye-specific retinogeniculate segregation independent of normal neuronal activity. Science 300:994-998.
Huberman AD, Stellwagen D, Chapman B (2002) Decoupling eye-specific segregation from lamination in the lateral geniculate nucleus. J. Neurosci. 22:9419-9429.
