Betsy Quinlan
Position title: Professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience, Herman and Rubinstein Chair of Neuroscience
Email: betsy.quinlan@wisc.edu
Departments:
Neuroscience
Education:
Ph.D. in Biology/Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Postdoctoral in Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Postdoctoral in Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Research Description:
The goal of the research in the Quinlan Lab is to elucidate mechanisms by which synaptic plasticity is constrained by age, to identify molecular/cellular targets to promote rejuvenation of synaptic plasticity in adults. We have demonstrated that robust structural and functional plasticity can be reactivated in the adult mouse visual cortex by prolonged dark exposure and subsequent light reintroduction. The plasticity can be harnessed to drive the recovery of vision in severe amblyopia (lazy eye). Our current work employs visual psychophysics, intravital imaging and longitudinal electrophysiology to define how visual deprivation rejuvenates the plasticity of visual neural circuitry.
Key Words:
Synaptic Plasticity, Aging Cortex, Amblyopia