Dr. Barbara Gordon-Lickey’s lab studies plasticity in the mammalian visual system; that is the ability of the visual system to change in response to change in the visual environment.  For example, when one eye of an infant is deprived of visual experience (monocular deprivation) that eye becomes less effective in eliciting responses from neurons in the visual cortex.  A similar response does not occur in the adult.  Our lab is studying the role of NMDA receptor in visual cortex plasticity.  This receptor is made up of several protein subunits.  By manipulating plasticity or subunit composition, we would like to find out which subunits are involved in plastic changes.  We assess plasticity with pattern evoked potentials.  We assess changes in subunit composition with in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, western blots and whole cell recording. 

Dr. Gordon-Lickey is no longer accepting new students.

Selected Publications:

Gordon, B., Kinch, G., Kato, N., Keele, C., Lissman, T., & Fu, L.N.  (1997).  The development of MK-801, kainate, AMPA, and muscimol binding sites and the effect of dark rearing in rat visual cortex.  J. Comp. Neurol., 33, 77-81.

Daw, N.W., Gordon, B., Fox, K.D., Flavin, H.J., and Kirsch, J.D., Beaver, C.J., Ji, Q., Reid, S.N., & Czepita, D.  (1999).  Injection of MK-801 affects ocular dominance shifts more than visual activity.  J. Neurophysiol., 81, 204-215.

Guire, E.S., Lickey, M.E., & Gordon, B.  (1999).  Critical period for the monocular deprivation effect in rats:  Assessment with sweep visually evoked potentials.  J. Neurophysiol., 81, 121-128.

Cao, Z., Lickey, M.E., Liu, L., Kirk, E., & Gordon, B.  (2000).  Development of NR1, NR2A and NR2B immunoreactivity in the visual cortex of the rat.  Brain Research, 859:26-37.

Cao, Z., Liu, L., Lickey, M.E., & Gordon, B.  (2000).  Development of NR1, NR2A and NR2B mRNA in NR1 immunoreactive cells of rat visual cortex.  Brain Research, 868:296-305.