Martin Muschol, Assistant Professor

Ph.D. physics, 1992 City University of New York

office:                     PHY102A                 (813) 974-2564

lab:                         PHY102B/C              (813) 974-9827

e-mail:                   mmuschol@cas.usf.edu

research interests: optical methods in biological physics

●          Imaging Neuronal Activity

●          Modeling Neuronal Information Processing

●          Optical Detection of Protein Interactions and Aggregation

●          Colloidal Models of Protein Interactions

●          New Optical Techniques for Biological Physics

research outline:

Short-Term Plastic Changes in Neurons:  One fundamental property of neurons is their "plasticity", i.e. their ability to change their response after repeated stimulation.  This ability is thought to underlie such essential processes as learning and memory formation.  We are using high-speed optical recording techniques to monitor stimulation-induced changes in electrical activity and the spatio-temporal patterns of calcium levels in the axons and nerve terminals of hypothalamic neurons. Using these optical data and simplified computational models, we are trying to unravel the cellular and sub-cellular mechanisms giving rise to neuronal plasticity at the presynaptic level.

Colloidal Models of Protein Aggregation:  Proteins in solutions frequently form disordered precipitates.  We have shown previously that colloidal models of protein interactions can provide valuable insights into the ubiquitous tendency of proteins to aggregate.  We are now investigating if and how these colloidal models can help us understand protein aggregation that occurs in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson disease.  To do so, we are using advanced optical techniques to follow the kinetics of protein aggregation.  We then compare our experimental observations with predictions of colloidal models for the phase behavior of proteins in solution.

Curriculum Vitae

additional info:

Optical Recording of Electrical Activity in the Posterior Pituitary Gland:  The four images below display an optical recording of the voltage signal (action potential) invading the posterior pituitary gland after in response to a single stimulus.  A large bundle of axons form the hypothalamus enters the posterior pituitary gland (at the top of the image) and arborizes extensively within the gland.  The pituitary gland was stained with a voltage-sensitive dye and the axons entering the gland were stimulated with a bipolar electrode (located at the top, just outside the view field).  These four fluorescence images show the changes in fluorescence intensity induced by the propagation of the compound action potential (i.e. the electrical excitation wave) through the gland in response to a single stimulus.  This sequence cover a time span of only 10 ms.

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