The long-term goal of our research program continues to be the understanding of the neurobiological basis for motor control. More specifically, we aim at characterizing physiological properties of neurons and neuronal circuits that we consider crucial to motricity in relation to cerebello-brainstem structures and to the sensory (vestibular, visual and proprioceptive) and motor (oculomotor and vibrissal whisking) interactions occurring within these bounds. The research will range from single cell electrophysiology using patch recording from in vitro CNS slices to determining the neuroethological properties of eye movements. These will be studied under normal conditions as well as following pharmacological or molecular biological manipulations geared at altering specific functional properties in given neuron types in these networks. Rather than employing a technique-oriented approach, our approach has been more problem oriented. Indeed, over the years we have utilized a range of technical methodologies geared to solve specific scientific problems. These include single cell recording, voltage-dependent dye imaging, transcranial functional imaging using two photon laser-scanning microscopy and multiple-unit recording in vivo. These studies will be implemented in mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and fish. Our philosophy continues to be that of studying the neuronal basis for motor systems function in their own right, as well as viewing the results of such studies as models for general CNS function. This perspective has yielded unusual non-biological results such as the utilization of single cell electrophysiology in the development of bio-mimetic microchips to be utilized in the motor control of autonomous machines.
From a clinical application point of view, defining the functional properties of the cerebellar brainstem motor system is central in the understanding of clinical conditions such as Cerebellar Ataxia and Essential Tremor. In fact, the octanol treatment for Essential Tremor, presently in clinical trial at NIH, was the result of our research on T channels in the inferior olive which demonstrated that excessive inferior olive oscillation can be controlled by alcohols, and in particular by octanol.
| Choi, Soonwook; Yu, Eunah; Hwang, Eunjin et al. (2016) Pathophysiological implication of CaV3.1 T-type Ca2+ channels in trigeminal neuropathic pain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113:2270-5 |
| Choi, Soonwook; Yu, Eunah; Lee, Seongwon et al. (2015) Altered thalamocortical rhythmicity and connectivity in mice lacking CaV3.1 T-type Ca2+ channels in unconsciousness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:7839-44 |
| Hensbroek, Robert A; Ruigrok, Tom J H; van Beugen, Boeke J et al. (2015) Visuo-vestibular information processing by unipolar brush cells in the rabbit flocculus. Cerebellum 14:578-83 |
| Winkelman, Beerend H J; Belton, Tim; Suh, Minah et al. (2014) Nonvisual complex spike signals in the rabbit cerebellar flocculus. J Neurosci 34:3218-30 |
| Hensbroek, Robert A; Belton, Tim; van Beugen, Boeke J et al. (2014) Identifying Purkinje cells using only their spontaneous simple spike activity. J Neurosci Methods 232:173-80 |
| Ivannikov, Maxim V; Sugimori, Mutsuyuki; Llinás, Rodolfo R (2013) Synaptic vesicle exocytosis in hippocampal synaptosomes correlates directly with total mitochondrial volume. J Mol Neurosci 49:223-30 |
| Chagnaud, Boris P; Zee, Michele C; Baker, Robert et al. (2012) Innovations in motoneuron synchrony drive rapid temporal modulations in vertebrate acoustic signaling. J Neurophysiol 107:3528-42 |
| Chagnaud, Boris P; Baker, Robert; Bass, Andrew H (2011) Vocalization frequency and duration are coded in separate hindbrain nuclei. Nat Commun 2:346 |
| Simpson, John I (2011) Crossing zones in the vestibulocerebellum: a commentary. Cerebellum 10:515-22 |
| Park, Young-Gyun; Park, Hye-Yeon; Lee, C Justin et al. (2010) Ca(V)3.1 is a tremor rhythm pacemaker in the inferior olive. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107:10731-6 |
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