Optic Nerve Regeneration
Dr. Frank Scalia’s main appointment is in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. His research interests focus on the growth, targeting and functional recovery of regenerating optic nerve axons. Optic nerve regeneration is an important example of central nervous system repair, in which recovery of function requires the restoration of complex circuitry and topographically mapped connections. He is currently studying aspects of this problem in the adult leopard frog, a highly visual animal in which visual function appears to be fully restored after regeneration of the optic nerve. Work in progress includes study of the possible reexpression and regulation, during regeneration in the adult frog, of the ephrin-A family of molecules thought to control retinotopic map formation during development in vertebrate species. Dr. Scalia plans to carry out parallel studies in the mouse to investigate the possibilities for improving the effectiveness of optic nerve regeneration in mammalian specie.
