Z. Jimmy Zhou, PhD

Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Science
Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Vice Chairman and Director of Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science

Email	jimmy.zhou@yale.edu
Phone	(203) 785-2076 (office)
Fax	(203) 785-7401
Office Address	Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science 300 George Street, Suite 8100D New Haven, CT 06510
Mailing Address	Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science Yale University School of Medicine P.O. Box 208061 New Haven, CT 06520-8061

Research Interests

Our laboratory is interested in understanding the development and function of the mammalian retina under both normal and pathological conditions.  Our current research focuses on (1) the cellular and network mechanisms underlying the generation of spontaneous rhythmic activities in the developing retina and the functional role of these activities (retinal waves) in the development of precise neuronal circuits in the visual system, (2) mechanisms of visual signal processing in the mature retina, particularly the physiology of the neuronal circuits responsible for the detection of image movement direction, (3) mechanisms of synaptic transmission between identified retinal neurons in normal and transgenic animals. Experimental techniques currently used in the lab include patch-clamp recordings from paired neurons in the intact mammalian retina and retinal slices, simultaneous patch clamp and calcium imaging in the retina, spot flash photolysis, biolistic gene transfection and fluorescence labeling, and computational modeling.

Recent Publications

• Lee S, Zhou ZJ (2006) The synaptic mechanism of direction selectivity in distal processes of starburst amacrine cells. Neuron 51:787-799.
• Zheng J*, Lee S*, Zhou ZJ (2006) A transient network of intrinsically bursting starburst cells underlies the generation of retinal waves. Nature Neuroscience 9(3):363-71. (* equal contributors)
  
• Zheng JJ*, Lee S*, Zhou ZJ (2004) A developmental switch in the excitability and function of the starburst network in the Mammalian retina. Neuron 44:851-864 (* equal contributors)

Education & Training

Undergraduate	BS, Fudan University
Internship	PhD, University of Houston
Residency	Postdoctoral Fellowship: Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA