Jimmy Zhou, Ph.D.

Education:

• Fudan University, Shanghai, China
  B.S., Nuclear Physics



• University of Houston, Houston, TX
  Ph.D., Biophysics



• Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles
  Los Angeles, CA
  Postdoctoral Fellowship, Neurophysiology

Academic Appointments:

Associate Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics
Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology

Research Interests:

Dr. Zhou is a neuroscientist who is interested in understanding cellular and synaptic mechanisms of neuronal interactions in the mammalian retina in relation to visual development and visual signal integration. Experimental methods used in Dr. Zhou’s laboratory include patch-clamp recording from paired neurons in the intact mammalian retina and retinal slices, simultaneous patch clamp and calcium imaging of the retina, biolistic gene transfection and fluorescence imaging of retinal neurons, and computational modeling. Current research projects in his laboratory include studies on (1) cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying spontaneous, rhythmic waves of excitation in the developing retina, (2) synaptogenesis and neurocircuit development in the retina, and (3) mechanisms of synaptic and dendritic integration in the retina during visual processing.

Dr. Zhou’s research is funded by a grant from the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Representative Publications:

Zhou ZJ (1998) Direct participation of starburst amacrine cells in the spontaneous rhythmic activities in the developing retina. J Neurosci 18:4155-4165.

Zhou ZJ, Zhao DC (2000) Coordinated transitions in neurotransmitter systems for the initiation and propagation of spontaneous retinal waves. J Neurosci 20:6570-6577.

Zhou ZJ (2001) A critical role for the strychnine-sensitive glyinergic system in spontaneous retinal waves of the developing rabbit. J Neurosci 21:51-58-5168.

Zhou ZJ (2001) The function of the cholinergic system in the developing mammalian retina. In: H Kolb, H Ripps, S Wu (eds), Progress in Brain Research, Elsevier Science B.V. 131:599-912.

Zhou ZJ (1998) Direct participation of starburst amacrine cells in the spontaneous rhythmic activities in the developing retina. J Neurosci 18:4155-4165.

Zhou ZJ, Zhao DC (2000) Coordinated transitions in neurotransmitter systems for the initiation and propagation of spontaneous retinal waves. J Neurosci 20:6570-6577.

Zhou ZJ (2001) A critical role for the strychnine-sensitive glyinergic system in spontaneous retinal waves of the developing rabbit. J Neurosci 21:51-58-5168.

Zhou ZJ (2001) The function of the cholinergic system in the developing mammalian retina. In: H Kolb, H Ripps, S Wu (eds), Progress in Brain Research, Elsevier Science B.V. 131:599-912.

Syed MM, Lee S, He S, and Zhou ZJ (2004) Spontaneous waves in the ventricular zone of developing mammalian retina. J Neurophysiol 91, 1999-2009.

Syed MM, Lee S, Zheng J, and Zhou ZJ (2004) Stage-dependent dynamics and modulation of spontaneous waves in the developing rabbit retina. J Physiol (Lond), jphysiol.2004.066597.

Casini G, Dal Monte M, Fornai F, Bosco L, Willems D, Yang Q, Zhou ZJ, and Bagnoli P (2004) Neurokinin 1 receptor expression and substance P physiological actions are developmentally regulated in the rabbit retina. Neuroscience 124, 147-160.