Techniques/equipment that we use
Our lab is driven by questions about the neural systems that we study. We use techniques to answer these questions and import new techniques (or collaborate) as needed. That being said, we maintain a robust suite of core methodologies. Below are the primary techniques you will learn, utilize, and master as a member of our research team. For prospective students: no prior experience with these specific platforms is required; we are dedicated to providing the mentorship and training needed to build your technical expertise.
High-throughput electrophysiology
Our laboratory is equipped with two Maxwell MaxOne high-density microelectrode array (HD-MEA) systems (https://www.mxwbio.com/). These state-of-the-art platforms feature 26,400 electrodes per chip, allowing us to perform large-scale extracellular recordings from retinas and brain slices with exceptional spatiotemporal resolution.
The system can be dynamically configured to detect action potentials from over 1,000 individual neurons simultaneously. We actively leverage this high-throughput capacity to map the emergence of spontaneous activity patterns in developing circuits, as well as to probe complex light-mediated responses in adult retinas.
Action potentials recorded from multiple retinal ganglion cells from a single electrode (out of ~1000).
Raster plot of neural activity from individual neurons (y axis) over time (x-axis). Each dot is an action potential. The big streaks are travelling retinal waves.
Two-photon Calcium imaging
Our lab is equipped with a Sutter Moveable Objective Microscope (MOM) that is capable of fast volumetric imaging.
Imaging calcium signals in retinal ganglion cell as they respond to retinal waves and visual stimuli (denoted by white bar at top right)
Anatomical techniques and (more) microscopy
We use a variety of anatomical techniques to understand the organization of the nervous system. Example techniques include immunohistochemistry and neuron tract tracing. Tissue is typically imaged on our own Zeiss Axio Imaging M2 microscope equipped with Apotome deconvolution technology or on one of the many core microscopes available to our lab (e.g.: confocal, fast tile scanner, light-sheet microscope). Vanderbilt Imaging core: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/cisr/
Immunostaining
Cross section of a retina stained for ChAT (cholinergic neurons, green) and HR1 (histamine receptors, magenta) using IHC.
Neuron tract tracing Axon terminals from the right (green) and left (magenta) eyes in the visual thalamus, labelled with anterograde tracers.
Computational techniques
Although we are primarily an experimental "wet lab," the sheer scale of our high-density datasets demands modern computational approaches. We utilize MATLAB to design custom analysis pipelines that allow us to process and freely interrogate our high-throughput data.
A Note for Prospective Trainees: Do not let the coding requirement intimidate you. A core mission of our lab is to bridge the gap between experimental biology and quantitative data science. As the instructor for the Programming for Biologists course at Vanderbilt, I ensure that all lab members receive structured mentorship in coding. Many of our trainees join with zero programming experience and quickly learn to write automated analysis pipelines. Mastering this skill is invaluable in today's data-driven scientific landscape, and our lab environment is explicitly structured to help you build that expertise from the ground up.