Newcastle University

Qualifications

BSc, MSc, PhD

Previous Positions

Associate Scientist, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA
Visiting Fellow, NIH

Memberships

Society for Neuroscience
British Neuroscience Association

Languages

French
Hebrew
English

Research Interests

Cellular neurophysiology
Cellular imaging
Neural plasticity
Developmental neuroscience
Retinal neurobiology

The main focus of our lab is to investigate how early neural activity drives the maturation of functional properties in retinal ganglion cells. Both spontaneously generated activity (taking the form of waves propagating across the retina) before birth and early visual experience play crucial roles in retinal maturation. Using a turtle model (and soon mouse), our main focus of research at present is to elucidate the role of GABA in these developmental processes.
We use various techniques, including calcium imaging, patch clamp recordings, extracellular recordings (including from multi-electrode arrays), immunocytochemistry, dendritic tree labelling (HRP, fluorescent markers, GFP) and reconstruction.

Current Work

Role of GABA in retinal maturation

Future Research

Role of light and circadian rhythms during retinal maturation

Funding

Projects grants from NIH ($ 320,000), MRC (£ 30,000), NATO ($ 6,000), BBSRC (£ 172,000), Newcastle Hospitals Special Trustees (£ 30,000), Newcastle University Research Committee (PhD studentship), Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (PhD studenthship).

• Hennig MH, Grady J, van Coppenhagen J, Sernagor E. Age-dependent homeostatic plasticity of GABAergic signaling in developing retinal networks. Journal of Neuroscience 2011, 31(34), 12159-12164.
• Shoval A, Adams C, David-Pur M, Shein M, Hanein Y, Sernagor E. Carbon nanotube electrodes for effective interfacing with retinal tissue. Frontiers in Neuroengineering 2009, 2, 4.
• Sernagor E, Mehta V. The role of early neural activity in the maturation of turtle retinal function. Journal of Anatomy 2001, 199(4), 375-383.
• Sernagor E, Eglen SJ, O'Donovan MJ. Differential effects of acetylcholine and glutamate blockade on the spatiotemporal dynamics of retinal waves. European Journal of Neuroscience 2000, 20(2), RC56.
• Grzywacz NM, Sernagor E. Spontaneous activity in developing turtle retinal ganglion cells: Statistical analysis. Visual Neuroscience 2000, 17(2), 229-241.
• Blau A, Murr A, Wolff S, Sernagor E, Medini P, Iurilli G, Ziegler C, Benfenati F. Flexible, all-polymer microelectrode arrays for the capture of cardiac and neuronal signals. Biomaterials 2011, 32(7), 1778-1786.
• Somerville J, Stuart L, Sernagor E, Borisyuk R. iRaster: A novel information visualization tool to explore spatiotemporal patterns in multiple spike trains. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 2010, 194(1), 158-171.
• Sernagor E, Grzywacz NM. Emergence of complex receptive field properties of ganglion cells in the developing turtle retina. J Neurophysiol 1995, 73, 1355-1364.
• Sernagor E, Chub N, Ritter A, O'Donovan MJ. Pharmacological characterization of the rhythmic synaptic drive onto lumbosacral motoneurons in the chick embryo spinal cord. Journal of Neuroscience 1995, 15, 7452-64.
• O'Donovan M, Sernagor E, Sholomenko G, Ho S, Antal M, Yee W. Development of spinal motor networks in the chick embryo. J Exp Zool 1992, 261, 261-73.
• Sernagor E, O'Donovan MJ. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings from rhythmically active motoneurons in the isolated spinal cord of the chick embryo. Neurosci Lett 1991, 128, 211-6.
• Benveniste M, Mienville JM, Sernagor E, Mayer ML. Concentration-jump experiments with NMDA antagonists in mouse cultured hippocampal neurons. J Neurophysiol. 1990, 63, 1373-84.
• Sernagor E, Kuhn D, Vyklicky L Jr, Mayer ML. Open channel block of NMDA receptor responses evoked by tricyclic antidepressants. Neuron 1989, 2, 1221-7.
• Sernagor E, Yarom Y, Werman R. Sodium-dependent regenerative responses in dendrites of axotomized motoneurons in the cat. PNAS 1986, 83, 7966-70.
• Sernagor E, Young C, Eglen SJ. Developmental modulation of retinal wave dynamics: Shedding light on the GABA saga. Journal of Neuroscience 2003,23 20 7621-7629.
• Sernagor E, Eglen SJ and Wong ROL. Development of retinal ganglion cell structure and function. Prog. Ret. and Eye Res. 2001, 20 (2), 139-174.
• E. Sernagor and N. M. Grzywacz. Influence of spontaneous activity and visual experience on developing retinal receptive fields. Current Biology 1996, 6, 1503-1508.