Work in our laboratory focuses on development and plasticity in the mammalian auditory system. The ability of humans and other animals to sense and interpret the external world critically depends on precise connections between neurons in the central nervous system. In many cases, this precise neural circuitry is not present at birth, but rather is established during early postnatal life through an interplay of spontaneous neural activity, input from the sensory environment, and cellular and molecular mechanisms of development and plasticity. Our laboratory's primary goal is to understand the role of neural activity in developmental plasticity and to determine the mechanisms by which neural activity modifies neuronal function and morphology. Using physiological, anatomical and behavioral techniques, we investigate the formation of neural circuits involved in sound localization. Among our current projects is an exploration of the surprising finding that immature inhibitory projection neurons in the auditory brainstem release the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate (Gillespie et al, 2005, Nat Neurosci 8:332). |
