Receptive field maps of visual neurons in the visual cortex

Vision

Vision

Vision begins in the retina of the eye, where neurons detect brightness, color, contrast and motion in the outside world. As visual information is relayed to more and more complex areas of the brain, features of the visual scene become more sophisticated and give rise to visual perception and misperception, like visual illusions. In diseases like age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma, neurons in the retina die, resulting in vision loss and eventually, blindness. Understanding how neurons normally function in the visual system is critical for understanding how to best preserve and restore visual function. UC Davis is home to one of the largest and most successful groups of Vision Research faculty and clinical care providers, anchored by the Center for Vision Sciences and the Eye Center, and supported by a National Eye Institute (NEI)-funded Vision Core grant and an NEI Vision Sciences T32 Training Program. 21 faculty members from 6 departments and 5 centers work in this area. This team includes a wide array of expertise, including molecular biologists, psychologists, physiologists, neuroscientists, mathematicians, engineers and clinical ophthalmologists.

 

Faculty studying vision

Ken Britten, Ph.D. Cortical contributions to visual perception and visually guided action
Nadean Brown, Ph.D. Molecular mechanisms regulating the formation of the mammalian lens and retina
Marie E. Burns, Ph.D. Photoreceptor physiology and degeneration, neuroinflammation in the retina
Tsung-Yu Chen, M.D.,Ph.D. Structures, functions and physiological roles of ion channels and transporters
Xiaomo Chen, Ph.D. Cognitive control and attention
William DeBello, Ph.D. Adaptive plasticity and brain wiring
Fernanda Ferreira, Ph.D. Investigating how humans use language in real time and in cooperation with other cognitive systems.
Paul G.FitzGerald, Ph.D. Ocular lens composition
Tom Glaser, M.D., Ph.D. Genetic basis of mammalian eye development and congenital eye malformations
John M. Henderson, Ph.D. Active Vision and Visual Cognition
Andrew Ishida, Ph.D.  Retinal physiology
Wilsaan M. Joiner, Ph.D. Sensorimotor integration, motor learning/control, and clinical applications.
Anna La Torre, Ph.D. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal progenitor competence and differentiation
Steven J. Luck, Ph.D. Basic and translational cognitive neuroscience
Nicholas Marsh-Armstrong, Ph.D.  Neuron glia interactions; glaucoma
Lisa Oakes, Ph.D. Origins and early development of mental abilities in infancy
Edward N. Pugh, Jr., Ph.D.  Phototransduction in mouse cone photoreceptors
Vivek Srinivasan, Ph.D. Biomedical optics, neuroimaging, vision, photonics, microscopy
Richard Tucker, Ph.D. Cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, cell motility and differentiation
W. Martin Usrey, Ph.D. Neural circuit activity, behavior and perception underlrying vision
Min Zhao, M.D., Ph.D. Bioelectricity / bioelectronics-guided cell migration and growth in wound healing and regeneration.