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| Dr. Giolli's Research Description |
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Primary Research Interests The longtime goal in my research laboratory has been the study of visual and oculomotor pathways of the brains across mammalian species, including marsupials, rodents, lagomorphs and primates. These studies have been supplemented by investigations of neurotransmitters deemed essential for visual oculomotor control such as occurs in the pretectal nucleus of the optic tract and the four terminal nuclei of the accessory optic system. Particular attention has been paid to the inhibitory transmitter GABA because of the preponderance of GABAergic neurons in the pretectal nucleus of the optic tract and the nuclei of the accessory optic system, important relay centers for oculomotor-related information processing of directionally selective visual information. An additional focus has been upon the extremely large densities of mu subtype of opioid receptors present in these oculomotor-related nuclei (in comparison with the paucity of the actual opiates that act at the mu receptors). Special interest concerns the effects of visual activity upon gene expression in neurons of the pretectal nucleus of the optic tract and the terminal nuclei of the accessory optic system in the rat and monkey. Studies are to begin that are designed to show mechanisms of interactions between the components of these brainstem nuclei using up- and down-regulation of gene expression for GAD (the synthesizing enzyme for the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA) and the GABAA receptor (an important site where GABA acts). The laboratory personnel are also experienced in the use of primates in neurological research, and as a future goal of the research, studies are planned to investigate activity dependent gene expression in the pretectal nuclei and the lateral terminal accessory optic neurons in macaque monkeys. Present investigations have also involved the anatomic organization of corticofugal nerve pathways to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, ventral thalamic nuclei, pretectal nuclei, superior colliculus, and basal pontine nuclear complex from distinct areas of monkey visual areas situated in the occipital, parietal and temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex. Recent research emphasis has been on the population of neurons in the accessory optic nuclei that contain the neuropeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). It has been found that most of these neurons co-localize GABA and a significant number also co-localize the calcium binding proteins, calretinin and calbindin. Research on these CGRP-containing neurons in the visual/oculomotor system is in progress. |
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