Research in my laboratory is directed at understanding how the adult pattern of precise and orderly connections in the central nervous system is achieved during development. A major aim of research is to understand the cellular and molecular interactions responsible for the emergence of connections in the mammalian visual system. One goal is to learn how neural function in utero, achieved via the spontaneous firing of neurons, can alter gene expression and the strength of synaptic connections. Another goal is to learn how the nervous system can construct huge neural networks such as the cerebral cortex: we wish to understand how a special scaffold of early-generated subplate neurons is involved in this process. We use a variety of experimental approaches to examine structural and physiological development. Optical imaging and mircoelectrode recordings from fetal retina, LGN and slices of cortex are made in vitro in order to examine the functional status of visual system connections and to assess synaptic transmission and changes in synaptic strength produced by neural activity. Molecular biological techniques including gene chips are being used to study activity-dependent regulation of gene expression in the developing CNS.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/shatzlab/