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Robin
L. Davis, Ph.D.
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BS 1973 Penn
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Rutgers University
(732) 445-0440
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| Research Interests | Research Techniques | |
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To uncover the basic principles of neural encoding in peripheral auditory system. |
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Research Summary |
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The primary neural elements in the auditory system, spiral ganglion neurons, are the gateway to the brain, and are, therefore, of tremendous importance for understanding the fundamentals of neural encoding. Based upon studies that directly demonstrated multiple kinds of voltage-dependent potassium channels within internodal membranes of auditory neurons (Davis, 1996), we hypothesized that these membrane currents contribute to aspects of auditory signaling. In support of this, whole-cell current clamp recordings from mammalian spiral ganglion neurons revealed sophisticated regulation of action potential number and timing (Mo and Davis; 1997a&b). These studies have laid the foundation for determining the functional significance of the observed electrophysiological complexities and whether they can account for features such as the shape of rate-intensity functions, spontaneous rate categories, and/or the range of physiological thresholds. There is little doubt that the potential contribution of endogenous membrane currents to signal processing will have a major impact on our understanding of the initial events in auditory sensory encoding. |
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Key References |
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For complete list: PubMed Davis, R.L.
(1996) Mo, Z.-L.
and Davis, R.L. (1997a) Mo, Z.-L.
and Davis, R.L. (1997b) Mou, K.,
Adamson, C.L. and Davis, R.L. (1998) Adamson,
C.L. and Davis, R.L. (1999) |
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