BME Master's Defense Announcement for Charlie Martin (M. Dadarlat Makin, advisor) Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 8:00am EST. Date: April 13th Time: 8:00am EST Location: Zoom - link below* Advisory Committee: Maria Dadarlat Makin, Chair; Estuardo Robles; Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem Title: Electrophysiological and behavioral testing reveal aberrant visual processing in Syngap1+/- mice Abstract: Syngap1+/- mice, a mouse model for intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder, develop early maturation of synapses due to a reduction in SynGAP1. This early maturation falls before the critical period of binocular matching at P14-P16 when orientation selectivity in the visual cortex (V1) begins developing. To understand the effects of reduced SynGAP1 expression in V1 development, acute monocular and binocular shank recordings were performed in V1 with corresponding analyses to determine if any alterations had occurred in retinotopy, orientation selectivity, and binocularity. A behavioral protocol was developed to link neural responses behavioral responses testing the visual discrimination threshold of angled stimuli. A widening of the receptive fields in Syngap1+/- mice was identified along with reduced firing rates for orientation tuned neurons in V1. The behavioral task identified an increase in the visual discrimination angle of Syngap1+/- mice. These results indicate a reduction in SynGAP1 expression has a perceivable effect on V1 development and function. *Link: Topic: Thesis Defense - Charlie Martin Time: Apr 13, 2022 08:00 AM Indiana (East) Join Zoom Meeting https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/99937870411 Meeting ID: 999 3787 0411 One tap mobile +16465588656,,99937870411# US (New York) +13017158592,,99937870411# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 999 3787 0411 Find your local number: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/u/aPA9hWaLq