Turner Lab Webpage

Ray W Turner Professor
PhD University of British Columbia 1985

Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Cell Biology & Anatomy
HRIC 1AA14 University of Calgary
Calgary Alberta Canada T2N 4N1
Phone: 403-220-8452 (Office) -8451 (Lab)
FAX: 403-210-7446
rwturner@ucalgary.ca

Lab Focus - The role of ion channels in regulating spike output patterns.

Approach: Electrophysiology in vitro , immunocytochemistry, modeling and molecular biology.
Collaborators: Drs. G. Zamponi (Calgary), R. Dunn (Montreal), L. Maler and A. Longtin (Ottawa).
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Projects

Burst discharge in cerebellar neurons. Purkinje cells in the mammalian cerebellar cortex respond to sensory and motor input and project to neurons of the deep cerebellar nuclei, which generate the final output of cerebellum. Both cells generate burst discharge that involves intrinsic voltage-gated ion channels and synaptic inputs. We examine how these factors control the output of cerebellar neurons to prevent the expression of spino-cerebellar ataxia.

Habenular spike patterns. Based on work on interactions between A type potassium and T type calcium channels in cerebellar stellate cells (Molineux et al. 2005) we are examining the molecular basis for regulating spike output patterns in the Medial and Lateral Habenular nuclei.

Burst discharge in ELL pyramidal cells. Weakly electric fish electrolocate objects in their environment using an electric field they emit. Input from receptors lead directly to an Electrosensory Lateral Line Lobe (ELL) to activate pyramidal cells with an architecture that allows patch recordings at the somatic or dendritic level. Pyramidal cells generate burst output through a "conditional backpropagation" of sodium spikes over the dendritic tree. We are examining how voltage- and calcium-activated potassium channels control burst output.

            Some of our recent studies reveal:
    - The dynamics of cerebellar Purkinje cell discharge (link)
    - How the characteristics of spike discharge invoke frequency tuning across multiple sensory maps (link)
    - The distribution of T-type calcium channel isoforms in the CNS (link)
    - The factors that control the expression of distinct burst phenotypes in deep cerebellum (link)
    - How LPA-Rho kinase modulates T-type calcium current (link 1 link 2)

Neuroscience Research in Calgary Why enter graduate studies in our lab? We use the latest of patch clamp recording techniques in in vitro slice preparations and heterologous expression systems to understand how ion channels control neuronal activity. We are active collaborators, with joint operating grants between 4 other labs in the country, increasing the opportunities for cross training in different aspects of neuroscience. As a result, students are productive, with past and present students publishing at least 2 peer-reviewed manuscripts during a MSc degree and 8 - 16 in a PhD. Students are thus highly competitive in winning external awards, providing a competitive salary and strong basis to proceed to postgraduate research. Students are encouraged to collaborate and attend meetings and Special Courses, with an emphasis on developing their respective skills and to provide training in what it takes to make it in a research career. We are well funded and equipped, and just moved to a new lab space in 2008! Brain Institute. Research is carried out in the new Hotchkiss Brain Institute, with over 70 principal researchers, 75 students and 25 PDFs in close proximity in the Faculty of Medicine to promote collaborative opportunities. Calgary is a modern city with a population of 1 million and represents the center of the oil industry in Canada. The University of Calgary has over 25,000 students and many unique facilities built for the 1998 Calgary Winter Olympics. Training Program. Students enroll in MSc or PhD programs in the Department of Neuroscience, with minimal course work in order to increase time for research. The minimum requirement is a GPA of at least 3.2/4.0 in the last 20 courses of a degree program. Just contact Ray Turner directly. Prospective students are also encouraged to contact lab members for an independent assessment of the research and training environment.
Funding Sources: