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Canadian Institutes of Health Research Group in Sensory-Motor Systems |
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THE LAB
Research Staff:
Monica Neuber-Hess: Research Associate
Monica provides the technical wizardry that is crucial to the success of
our immunocytochemistry experiments, electron microscopic studies, and
neuroanatomical investigations. She
also ensures the smooth operation of the day-to-day activity of the lab.
Peter Vandervoort:Research Technician
Peter recently joined our lab and is becoming the resident expert in Neurolucida. He also has experience in the care of chronic animals and plays an indispensable role in ensuring that our experimental animals are healthy.
Graduate Students:
Victoria MacDermid: PhD candidate
Victoria is the lead investigator in studies devoted to the effect of
axotomy on neuronal polarity. She
has systematically mapped the distribution of proteins specific for axons
(GAP-43) and dendrites (MAP2a/b) in intact and axotomized motoneurons.
The results of her studies provide the foundation for our claim that
dendrites can serve as a springboard for the growth of new axons following
permanent axotomy. For more information, see the project entitled: RE-ESTABLISHING
CONNECTIONS LOST DUE TO SPINAL CORD INJURY: A ROLE FOR AXON-LIKE PROCESSES
ORIGINATION FROM DENDRITES?
and Rose et
al., Eur. J. Neurosci. 13:1166-1176 (2001).
Tuan Bui: Msc candidate
Tuan joined our lab after completing a dual degree in Applied Mathematics
in the Faculty of Applied Science and Life Sciences in the Faculty of Health
Sciences. He is our resident guru
of computational modeling and is responsible for building compartmental models
of spinal interneurons that incorporate quantitative descriptions of their
innervation, dendritic geometry, and distribution of voltage-dependent channels.
For more information on this project, see: REGULATION
OF SPINAL INTERNEURON INPUT/OUTPUT FUNCTIONS.
John Grande: PhD candidate
We welcome John from the Department of Kinesology at York University where he recorded single unit EMG activity in humans during voluntary and reflex muscle contractions as part of his MSc thesis. John will be responsible for determining the magnitude of non-linear interactions between excitatory synapses on neck motoneurons and the role played by the location of the synapses on the dendritic tree. For more information, see: CONTRIBUTION OF DENDRITIC STRUCTURE TO THE INPUT/OUTPUT PROPERTIES OF NECK MOTONEURONS.
Undergraduate Students:
For several years our research has benefited from the enthusiastic
participation of students in their final year of Life Sciences or Applied
Sciences. This year is no
exception.
Maria Ter-Mikaelian is a fourth year Life Science student with
experience in computational modeling and dendritic tree reconstructions (the
latter thanks to the laboratory of Dr. Robert Burke, NIH).
Maria will utilize this experience in a computational study designed to
test the hypothesis that voltage-dependent calcium channels on dendrites of neck
motoneurons are strategically located on proximal dendrites, 200 to 400 µm from
the soma.
Nicole Skelton, fresh from a summer research position in our lab, will be engaged in experiments related to the study of axon-like processes that emerge from distal dendrites of axotomized motoneurons.
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Updated Aug 9, 2001