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Developmental Neural Plasticity Unit
Leonardo Belluscio, Ph.D., Investigator
Dr. Belluscio received his B.S. from Manhattan College and his Ph.D. from Columbia University where he studied the molecular and cellular organization of the mammalian olfactory system with Richard Axel. He then went on to do post-doctoral training with Larry Katz at Duke University, where he investigated the functional and anatomical organization of the olfactory bulb using various imaging techniques. Dr. Belluscio joined NINDS as an investigator in 2002. His laboratory now combines molecular and functional techniques to explore the development of the olfactory system with emphasis on neural plasticity associated with neonatal learning.
Staff:
Research Interests:
Olfactory sensory neurons, which reside in the olfactory epithelium, detect odors in the outside world and transmit this information directly to the output neurons of the olfactory bulb. Within the olfactory bulb a large population of inhibitory interneurons extensively modulates this information before it is relayed on to the olfactory cortex. This information processing is thought to play a critical role in the plasticity underlying olfactory learning. Since the mammalian olfactory system continues to develop for several weeks postnatally, this defined period of heightened plasticity provides a perfect window of opportunity to study the interplay between development and learning.
Our research focuses on elucidating the synaptic circuitry that is established during initial bulb development, and defining the factors that cause its reorganization during neonatal learning. We use a multi-dimensional approach that combines molecular biology, transgenics, optical imaging and electrophysiology to perform both in-vivo and in-vitro studies in genetically engineered mice.
Selected Publications:
- Lodovichi C, Belluscio L, Katz LC (2003) Functional topography of connections linking mirror-symmetric maps in the mouse olfactory bulb, Neuron .
- Belluscio L, Lodovichi C, Feinstein P, Mombaerts P, Katz LC. (2002) Odorant receptors instruct functional circuitry in the mouse olfactory bulb., Nature 419, 296-300. Full Text/Abstract
- Belluscio L, Katz LC. (2001) Symmetry, stereotypy, and topography of odorant representations in mouse olfactory bulbs., J Neurosci 21, 2113-22. Full Text/Abstract
- Herve D, Le Moine C, Corvol JC, Belluscio L, Ledent C, Fienberg AA, Jaber M, Studler JM, Girault JA (2001) Galpha(old) levels are regulated by receptor usage and control dopamine and adenosine action in the striatum., J Neurosci .
All Selected Publications
Contact Information:
Dr. Leonardo Belluscio
Developmental Neural Plasticity Unit, NINDS
Porter Neuroscience Research Center
Building 35, Room 3A-116
35 Convent Drive, MSC 3703
Bethesda, MD 20892-3703
Telephone: 301-496-4898 office,
301-435-4643 laboratory,
301-435-4959 fax
Email: belluscl@ninds.nih.gov
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