Centre for Integrative Physiology
University of Edinburgh
Hugh Robson Building

- Edinburgh
UK

+44 (131) 650 3722

mdaw@staffmail.ed.ac.uk

Job opportunities

Networks of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the cortex are required for the processing, storage and retrieval of sensory information. Development of neuronal connections is driven by both intrinsic (genetic, molecular) and extrinsic (sensory experience) factors. Incorrect formation of these networks during development is thought to be a primary cause of a number of serious mental health conditions including autism spectrum disorders, mental retardation and schizophrenia. My group studies the postnatal development of circuits in the rodent barrel cortex using in vitro electrophysiological techniques and examine how this development influenced by experience and genes implicated in human developmental disorders. Additionally we are interested in the role of inhibitory synaptic transmission in mature cortical circuits.

Tricoire L, Pelkey KA, Daw MI, Sousa VH, Miyoshi G, Jeffries B, Cauli B, Fishell G, McBain CJ (2010) Common origins of hippocampal Ivy and nitric oxide synthase expressing neurogliaform cells. J Neurosci 30:2165-2176.

Daw MI, Pelkey KA, Chittajallu R, McBain CJ (2010) Presynaptic kainate receptor activation preserves asynchronous GABA release despite the reduction in synchronous release from hippocampal cholecystokinin interneurons. J Neurosci 30:11202-11209.

Daw MI, Tricoire L, Erdelyi F, Szabo G, McBain CJ (2009) Asynchronous transmitter release from cholecystokinin-containing inhibitory interneurons is widespread and target-cell independent. J Neurosci 29:11112-11122.

Daw MI, Ashby MC, Isaac JT (2007) Coordinated developmental recruitment of latent fast spiking interneurons in layer IV barrel cortex. Nat Neurosci 10:453-461.

Daw MI, Scott HL, Isaac JT (2007) Developmental synaptic plasticity at the thalamocortical input to barrel cortex: mechanisms and roles. Mol Cell Neurosci 34:493-502.

Daw M, Isaac J (2007) Electrophysiological recordings from neonatal neocortical brain slices. Curr Protoc Neurosci Chapter 6:Unit 6 23.

Daw MI, Bannister NV, Isaac JT (2006) Rapid, activity-dependent plasticity in timing precision in neonatal barrel cortex. J Neurosci 26:4178-4187.

Duprat F, Daw M, Lim W, Collingridge G, Isaac J (2003) GluR2 protein-protein interactions and the regulation of AMPA receptors during synaptic plasticity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 358:715-720.

Daw MI, Bortolotto ZA, Saulle E, Zaman S, Collingridge GL, Isaac JT (2002) Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase regulates synapse specificity of hippocampal long-term depression. Nat Neurosci 5:835-836.

Daw MI, Chittajallu R, Bortolotto ZA, Dev KK, Duprat F, Henley JM, Collingridge GL, Isaac JT (2000) PDZ proteins interacting with C-terminal GluR2/3 are involved in a PKC-dependent regulation of AMPA receptors at hippocampal synapses. Neuron 28:873-886.

·      Electrophysiology