Analysis of the synapse formation and the functional networks in the vertebrate retina

Research Project Outline

We focus on the retina, a part of the central nervous system (CNS), to understand molecular and functional mechanisms underlying specific synaptic connections and neuronal networks. Toward this end, by generating various genetically engineered mice including selective neuron-disrupted mouse, we will investigate synapse formation at the molecular level, electrophysiological properties at the cell and tissue levels, and visual function at the individual level. Through these studies, we attempt to elucidate how elaborate neural networks are formed and visual information is processed in the retina.