Top-down regulation of the organization of visual information in thalamus - Chinfei Chen

Top-down regulation of the organization of visual information in thalamus

Chinfei Chen, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard University, Boston

Host: Hannah Payne (Raymond Lab)

Abstract

Experience-dependent refinement of synaptic circuits is fundamental for normal neurological function.  Recent studies from our lab, using optogenetic and pharmacogenetic tools in the mouse, show that primary sensory pathways develop through the concurrent and interdependent remodeling of subcortical and cortical circuits in response to sensory experience.  These findings have implications for neurodevelopmental disorders, as potential aberrant changes in activity of the cortex during circuit consolidation can result in far reaching damage to subcortical areas.

Curriculum Vitae

Related Paper

[1]Hong YK, Park K, Litvina E, Morales J, Sanes JR and Chen C. Bouton Clustering Underlies Retinogeniculate Refinement. Neuron 2014; 84: 332-339. PMC4322918 doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.059

[2] Thompson AD, Picard N, Min L, Fagiolini M and Chen C. Cortical Feedback Regulates Feedforward Retinogeniculate Refinement.  Neuron (2016) 91:1021-33. PMC5156570. doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2016.07.040