Degrees

1981    PhD    (Biology)    University of California, Los Angeles
 

Research Interests

Vertebrate retinae use fast neurotransmitters to signal moment-to-moment changes in the distribution of incident light. Retinae contain an additional set of neurotransmitters which operate on slower time scales to modulate signal generation and transmission. One of these slowly acting neurotransmitters - dopamine - has been found to regulate light responses, chemical synapses, electrical coupling, and extrasynaptic currents of cells at every level of the retina. Dopamine release is increased by illumination and the effects produced by dopamine help the retina function as the "front end" of the visual system during daylight. Our laboratory studies how dopamine modulates action potentials and voltage-gated ion currents in adult mammalian retinal ganglion cells. We are identifying effects of dopamine and related ligands on ganglion cell excitability, digital and analog properties of spikes, currents activated by either depolarization or hyperpolarization, and signaling cascade components. We are pursuing these projects by use of patch-clamp recording, fast voltage-clamp, multielectrode array recording, immunohistochemistry, immunoprecipitation, calcium imaging, primary cell culture, and organotypic culture.

Awards

ASUCD Excellence in Education Award (College of Biological Sciences)

Outstanding Service Award (Neuroscience Graduate Group)

CBS Grad Group Affiliations

Neuroscience

Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology

Specialties / Focus

Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology

• Neurophysiology

Labs

Ishida Lab

• Jeff Johnson, Gloria Partida, Andrew Ishida

Teaching Interests

Neuroscience, Physiology, Visual System

Courses

NPB 101 Systemic Physiology

NPB 261A Topics in Vision