Major Research Areas
Sensory Biology
Sensory biology examines the mechanism by which the nervous system learns about the environment. Particular strengths at SUNY Upstate are vision and olfaction research.
Investigators associated with the Center for Vision Research employ model organisms such as Xenopus and Limulus, as well as cell culture systems to study degenerative disease, neural coding and photoreceptor biology.
Olfactory topics investigated include: how the olfactory system discriminates odors, how nasal senses affect behavior, how sensory information received from the nose is encoded in the brain, the generation of olfactory neurons in the fetus, adolescent and adult, and diseases associated with the inability to smell.
Robert Barlow, Ph.D.
Professor
Neural basis of visual behavior; computational models of neural coding; circadian and metabolic modulation of human visual sensitivity. |
Michael Miller, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Factors that regulate the proliferation, migration, and survival/death of neurons in the developing brain; models of fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. |
Peter Calvert, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Molecular mechanisms of protein transport and localization in retinal neurons;
mechanisms of retinal degenerative diseases |
Sandra Mooney, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Cell death and survival in the developing brain; Mechanisms of ethanol toxicity; models of fetal alcohol syndrome and autism. |
Barry Knox, Ph.D.
Professor
Visual transduction, Gene Expression, Membrane proteins |
Brad Motter, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Visual Neurophysiology;
Visual Attention;
Visual Search Behavior |
Michael Lyon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Age-related changes in the laryngeal muscles and vocal folds. |
Francesca Pignoni, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Neurogenesis; Retinal Progenitor Cells Specification and Proliferation; Genetic Control of Stem Cell Identity and Maintenance; Genetic Pathways in RPE Formation; Disease Genes Analysis in Drosophila
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Russell Matthews, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Role of glycoproteins in oncogenesis and brain development |
Daniel Tso, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Neuronal mechanisms of visual perception, studied through physiological, anatomical and functional imaging techniques. |
James McCasland, Ph.D.
Professor
Cortical plasticity, development of somatotopic representations in cortex |
Steven Youngentob, Ph.D.
Professor
In utero ethanol exposure and chemsensory systems plasticity, olfactory signal transduction, peripheral and central mechanisms of odorant quality coding. |
Michael Meguid, M.D.
Professor
Neurophysiological regulation of food intake. |
Michael Zuber, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The molecular basis of retinal stem cell formation; regulating retinal stem/progenitor cell proliferation; using retinal stem/progenitor cells to heal the injured or degenerating retina. |
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Research Highlight
Richard Wojcikiewicz
Interim Chair, Pharmacology Department
Richard Wojcikiewicz, interim chair of the Pharmacology Department, was recently awarded a $260,589 RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his study of intracellular calcium channels (IP3 receptors) and the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. His work has relevance to clinical researchers studying cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
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