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Undergraduate Institution and Major/Degree:
- Minnesota State University Mankato, BS in Human Biology and Psychology
Major Advisor(s):
Research Description:
Ion conductance through the N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) not only contributes to the electrical excitability of neurons, but can also trigger intracellular signaling cascades capable of modifying the properties of neurons and, subsequently, their relative influence on each other. [Imagine this small-scale process occurring across the synapses of thousands of neurons, so that it modifies an organism's behavior when re-exposed to a similar situation. This is a prevailing hypothesis of how learning and memory can emerge from a collection of molecular processes.] NMDA receptor activation not only requires the binding of glutamate agonist to the NR2 subunit but also requires a coagonist bound to the NR1 subunit. Recent evidence suggests that D-serine, synthesized and released by glial cells, serves as the primary NMDAR coagonist in various regions of the nervous system, including the retina. However, little is known about how D-serine is released. My current research adopts a number of biochemical techniques (capillary electrophoresis and enzymatic assays) to measure D-serine and determine how its release in the retina.
Lab Rotations:
- Bob Miller
- Paul Mermelstein
- David Redish
- Teresa Nick
Courses Taken Beyond the Core Courses:
- PHSL 5201 Computational Neuroscience I
- NSC 5202 Theoretical Neuroscience
- PUBH 6450 Biostatistics I
- CMB 8361 Neuro-Immune Interactions
Conferences Attended and Presentations:
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Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting: Fall 2005, 2006, 2007
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Assoc for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Meeting: Spring 2008
Committee Members:
- Eric Newman (chair)
- Paulo Kofuji
- Michael Bowser
Selected Publications and Presentations:
- Abstract for SFN 2007: Sullivan SJ, Konno R, and Miller RF. “Retinal D-serine release in mice lacking functional D-amino acid oxidase”
Awards and Honors:
- Fellowship on NIH Training Grant: 2005, 2007
Professional Memberships:
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Society for Neuroscience
- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
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