Visual Neuroscience Laboratory

Retinal neurobiology

Neural circuitry
Key question: How do mammalian retinas process visual information?
Approach: Using electrophysiology and modeling to study how retinal ganglion cells encode visual information efficiently.
Collaborators: Chi-Keung Chan (Academia Sinica), Fred Rieke (University of Washington, USA)

Neural development
Key question: How do mammalian retinal circuits and vessels develop?
Approach: Using transgenic mice, immunocytochemistry, electrophysiology, and confocal microscopy to study how intrinsic photosensitive retinal ganglion cells and retinal vessels develop.
Collaborators: Shih-Kuo Chen (National Taiwan Univesity)

Neural regeneration
Key question: How do optic nerves in the mammalian retina regenerate?
Approach: Using cultured retinal ganglion cells, retinal explants, retinal organoid to study how increased neural activity and magnetic nanoparticles can facilitate retinal axon regrowth.
Collaborators: Shih-Hwa Chiou (Taipei Veterans General Hospital), Jong-Kai Hsiao (Taipei TzuChi Hospital)

Neural prosthesis
Key question: How do artificial retinas restore vision?
Approach: Using photoreceptor degenerated mice, electrophysiology, and light/electrical stimulations to study how retinal prosthesis can evoke the response of retinal ganglion cells effectively.
Collaborators: Chung-Yu Wu (National Chiao Tung University)

Cephalopod neuroethology

Sensorimotor integration
Key question: How do cuttlefish and squids process visual information and make appropriate behaviors?
Approach: Using light/electrical stimulations, ethogram analysis, MRI imaging, video recording, and DeepLabCut tracking to study how cuttlefish and squids change skin color for communication and predict visual target for catching moving prey?
Collaborators: Roger Hanlon (Marine Biological Laboratory, USA)

Decision making
Key question: How do cuttlefish make decisions?
Approach: Using the two-alternative forced choice behavioral paradigm to study how cuttlefish make foraging decisions in various contexts (metabolic state, prior experience, affective state).
Collaborators: Ludovic Dickel (Université de Caen Basse Normandie, France)

Pain perception
Key question: How do cuttlefish perceive pain?
Approach: Using electrophysiology, behavioral experiments, and image processing to study how cuttlefish sense pain and make corresponding responses.
Collaborators: Joseph Spencer (University of Liverpool, UK), Lynne Sneddon (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)

ABOUT THE LAB

We are interested in all aspects of visual neuroscience, from cell biology to animal behavior. There are two research fields in the lab, including retinal neurobiology and cephalopod neuroethology.

We welcome anyone interested in studying retina and cephalopod to join us.