The central goal of this research project is to acquire the skills necessary to study the anatomy, electrophysiology, and behavior of the oculomotor system. In the process of gaining these skills, this project seeks to develop a genetic framework for oculomotor behavior in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. This work will extend the genetic and developmental potential of zebrafish to include neurophysiology by applying the extensive knowledge of goldfish brainstem and cerebellar organization to this vertebrate model system. Thus, by utilizing the zebrafish, I will be able to examine the ontogeny and dynamics of oculomotor function at three separate yet complementary levels: behavior in the whole animal, neurons and neural circuit, and genetic. Specifically, the developmental time-table for the acquisition of dynamic visuomotor behavior will be described in the zebrafish by recording eye velocity performance, storage and plasticity.
| Lambert, Francois M; Beck, James C; Baker, Robert et al. (2008) Semicircular canal size determines the developmental onset of angular vestibuloocular reflexes in larval Xenopus. J Neurosci 28:8086-95 |
| Straka, Hans; Beck, James C; Pastor, Angel M et al. (2006) Morphology and physiology of the cerebellar vestibulolateral lobe pathways linked to oculomotor function in the goldfish. J Neurophysiol 96:1963-80 |
| Beck, James C; Rothnie, Paul; Straka, Hans et al. (2006) Precerebellar hindbrain neurons encoding eye velocity during vestibular and optokinetic behavior in the goldfish. J Neurophysiol 96:1370-82 |
| Beck, James C; Gilland, Edwin; Tank, David W et al. (2004) Quantifying the ontogeny of optokinetic and vestibuloocular behaviors in zebrafish, medaka, and goldfish. J Neurophysiol 92:3546-61 |
| Beck, James C; Gilland, Edwin; Baker, Robert et al. (2004) Instrumentation for measuring oculomotor performance and plasticity in larval organisms. Methods Cell Biol 76:385-413 |
