Research Interests

The broad goal of research in my laboratory is to understand how inhibitory inputs influence neuronal signaling and sensory signal processing in the retina.  Neurons in the brain receive inputs that are both excitatory, increasing neural activity, and inhibitory, decreasing neural activity.  Inhibitory and excitatory inputs to neurons must be properly balanced and timed for correct neural signaling to occur.

The synaptic factors that tune inhibition vary widely over the nervous system, but the relative importance of these factors in determining brain activity is not well understood.  I am interested in how inhibition shapes sensory neuronal signaling.  This requires understanding aspects of both synaptic and sensory physiology. 

To study sensory inhibition I use the retina, a unique preparation which can be removed intact and can be activated physiologically, with light, in vitro.  Thus using the retina as a model system, I can study how inhibitory synaptic physiology influences inhibition in visual processing.

By studying synaptic processing in the retina I can understand how light information is processed into the visual signal that our brain senses.  Additionally, we can use information about how the healthy retina works to determine how disease states, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, cause retinal dysfunction.  Ultimately, understanding which neurons fail to function properly and why can help to restore sight.

Graduate Program Affiliations

Biomedical Engineering

Physiological Sciences

Publications

Schubert T, Kerschensteiner D, Eggers ED, Misgeld T, Kerschensteiner M, Lichtman JW, Lukasiewicz PD, Wong RO. Jul 2008. Development of presynaptic inhibition onto retinal bipolar cell axon terminals is subclass-specific. J Neurophysiol, 100:304-16

Eggers ED, McCall MA, Lukasiewicz PD. Jul 2007. Presynaptic inhibition differentially shapes transmission in distinct circuits in the mouse retina. J Physiol, 582:569-82

Eggers ED, Lukasiewicz PD. Sep 2006. Receptor and transmitter release properties set the time course of retinal inhibition. J Neurosci, 26:9413-25

Eggers ED, Lukasiewicz PD. Apr 2006. GABA(A), GABA(C) and glycine receptor-mediated inhibition differentially affects light-evoked signalling from mouse retinal rod bipolar cells. J Physiol, 572:215-25

Eggers ED, Ichinose T, Sagdullaev BT, and Lukasiewicz P. Jan 2006. Retinal GABA receptors and visual processing: a model system for presynaptic inhibition.. Cellscience Reviews, 2:50-67

Lukasiewicz PD, Eggers ED, Sagdullaev BT, McCall MA. Dec 2004. GABAC receptor-mediated inhibition in the retina. Vision Res, 44:3289-96

Eggers ED, Berger AJ. Jun 2004. Mechanisms for the modulation of native glycine receptor channels by ethanol. J Neurophysiol, 91:2685-95

Sebe JY, Eggers ED, Berger AJ. Aug 2003. Differential effects of ethanol on GABA(A) and glycine receptor-mediated synaptic currents in brain stem motoneurons. J Neurophysiol, 90:870-5

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