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Robert F. Miller, M.D. Professor, Department of Neuroscience E-mail: rfm@mail.ahc.umn.edu Dr. Miller's Homepage Honors: 2000 Mortar Board Award to R.F. Miller for excellence in Undergraduate Teaching ; Boycott Award for research (2002)

Research Interests:

My primary research interest is focused on the vertebrate retina, a unique, well organized neural network that carries out sophisticated computations on the visual image. Four general areas occupy most of my experimental efforts. The first relates to the mechanisms of synaptic transmission in the retina, with special emphasis on glutamate receptors. Second, I have a long-standing interest in the relationships between structure and function and this had led to computational approaches to these problems, including the use of computer simulations to replicate physiological observations. In recent years my colleagues and I have developed models of multichannel impulse encoding, the role of T-type calcium channels in dendritic integration and impulse generation and the role of NMDA and AMPA receptors in synaptic transmission. A third area involves the use of fluorescent dyes to study functional properties of cells, including the use of activity-dependent dyes, combined with confocal microscopy and dyes to study intracellular calcium, pH, and chloride activity. A fourth research area relates to the function of glial cells in the retina, principally the Müller cells and how they generate calcium waves and respond to externally applied NAD.

Methods used in my laboratory include intracellular, whole-cell and patch-electrode electrophysiological techniques applied to the intact retina, retinal slices, and dissociated cells. Optical techniques include fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, and 3D image reconstruction techniques. We are adding two-photon, confocal microscopy to combine this with electrophysiology for analyzing intricate properties of dendrites. We also use high-speed computers with specialized software (Neuron and MCell) to carry out studies of single cell structure and function relationships, including diffusion of neurotransmitter and receptor kinetics.

Selected Publications:

Mitra P, Miller RF. Mechanism underlying rebound excitation in retinal ganglion cells. Vis Neurosci. 2007 Sep-Oct;24(5):709-31.

Royer AS, Miller RF. Dendritic impulse collisions and shifting sites of action potential initiation contract and extend the receptive field of an amacrine cell. Vis Neurosci. 2007 Jul-Aug;24(4):619-34.

Gustafson EC, Stevens ER, Wolosker H, Miller RF. Endogenous D-serine contributes to NMDA-receptor-mediated light-evoked responses in the vertebrate retina. J Neurophysiol. 2007 Jul;98(1):122-30.

Mitra P, Miller RF. Normal and rebound impulse firing in retinal ganglion cells. Vis Neurosci. 2007 Jan-Feb;24(1):79-90.

Henderson D, Miller RF. Low-voltage activated calcium currents in ganglion cells of the tiger salamander retina: experiment and simulation. Vis Neurosci. 2007 Jan-Feb;24(1):37-51.

Miller RF, Staff NP, Velte TJ. Form and function of ON-OFF amacrine cells in the amphibian retina. J Neurophysiol. 2006 May;95(5):3171-90.

Current Graduate Students:

Eric Gustafson (Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Steve Sullivan (Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Former Graduate Students:

Dori Henderson (Ph.D. 2001, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Eric Stevens (Ph.D. 2007, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Toby Velte (Ph.D. 1995, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Weifeng Yu (Ph.D., Physiology, 1994). Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.