Faculty Profile |
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Professor
Scott Hall Room 8314
(313) 577-0836 (Office) (313) 577-0837 (Lab)
Dr. Ichinose’s laboratory focuses on the elucidation of retinal neural networks. When light illuminates the eyes, photoreceptors capture the visual inputs and convert them to neural signals. Retinal bipolar cells, horizontal cells, amacrine cells, and ganglion cells form neural networks to extract specific components of visual inputs, such as color and motion. Then, each signal is sent to the brain in parallel. We recently focused on the motion detection pathway and showed that the acetylcholine feedback pathway to bipolar cells contributes to the direction selectivity in ganglion cells. We also focus on the ON and OFF signaling pathways and their interactions.
The retinal neural network is complicated because of numerous subsets of neurons. We utilize patch clamp recordings, two-photon calcium imaging, immunohistochemistry, molecular biology, and mouse behavioral methods to solve mechanisms of visual signal processing. We expect that our study will contribute to understanding retinal diseases and fabrications of artificial retinas.
Dr. Ichinose teaches neuroanatomy for MD1 as a member of the MD1_Neurosciences Faculty (MD1_5600_1607_001_701_67) and as the Course Director for the Graduate Neuroanatomy (ANA 7130). She also teaches Retinal Neurophysiology and Central Visual Pathways for Biology of the Eye course (ANA 6050, 7055, Bio 6055, 7055).
Research Educator, Full time, MD, Neuroscience
Professional Appointments and Licensures
NIH/NEI R01 EY028915, EY032917