Department of Physiology Seminar Series
R. Douglas Fields, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator
Nervous System Development & Plasticity Section
National Institutes of Health/NICHD
Bethesda, Maryland
Room 5AB100, Noon- 1:00pm, Thursday, December 8, 2005
Research Interest:
Research in the Section on Nervous System Development and Plasticity is concerned with understanding how the
brain develops and modifies its structure and function through experience. Functional activity in the brain during late
stages of fetal development in early postnatal life is essential for normal development of the nervous and the same
mechanisms underlie learning and memory and nervous system recovery following disease or injury. Our research is
investigating the molecular mechanisms that enable neural impulse activity to regulate major developmental
processes of both neurons and glia. The main objectives of this research program are: (1) to understand how the
expression of genes controlling the structure and function of the nervous system is regulated by patterned neural
impulse activity; (2) to determine the functional consequences of neural impulse activity on major developmental
processes, including: cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, growth cone motility, neurite outgrowth,
synaptogenesis and synapse remodeling, myelination, interactions between neurons and glia, and the mechanisms
involved in learning and memory; (3) to understand how information contained in the temporal pattern of neural
impulse activity is transduced and integrated within the intracellular signaling networks of neurons to activate specific
genes and control appropriate adaptive responses.
This work involves a multidisciplinary approach using cultured mammalian neurons and glia, brain slice, and in vivo
preparations. Confocal and two-photon calcium imaging, electrophysiology, cDNA arrays for gene expression
profiling, in cultured neurons and hippocampal brain slice are used to study cell proliferation, differentiation,
myelination, neuron-glia communication, long-term synaptic plasticity (hippocampal LTP), and intracellular
signaling controlling neuronal plasticity and gene expression.
Publications:
Fields, R.D. (2004) The Other Half of the Brain, Scientific American 290(4) , 54-61.
Fields, R.D. and B. Stevens-Graham (2002) New views of neuron-glia communication, Science 298, 483-690.
Stevens, B., S. Porta, L.L. Haak, V. Gallo, and R.D. Fields (2002) Adenosine: A neuron-glial transmitter
promoting myelination in the CNS in response to action potentials, Neuron 36, 855-868.
Persons with disabilities who may need auxiliary aids or services are requested to contact Josie Martinez (743-2521) at least
24 hours prior to this seminar so that appropriate arrangements can be made.