Presenter: Gwyneth Amonte

Group Members: Ana Mihal

Faculty Sponsor: Sarah L. Pallas

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biology

Session: Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, 165, D6

ABSTRACT

Studying the development of visual pathways is of fundamental importance in neuroscience because it addresses how sensory experiences interact with biological processes to shape neural activity. Although early research in cats and primates revealed that exposure to daylight is necessary during their critical period to sharpen visual perception, it was later discovered that crepuscular and nocturnal species could refine their vision without light. However, crepuscular species such as hamsters and ferrets were unable to maintain that sharp vision into adulthood in contrast to nocturnal species like mice. It remains unclear whether visual experience is necessary to develop and maintain acuity in rodent species that are active during the day. Studying gerbils, a diurnal rodent, provides the opportunity to address this question. Gerbils may be a better model for studying human visual development because humans are diurnal, and a diurnal species may offer more relevant insights into conditions in which early visual processing is significant. In order to investigate whether visual experience is required for proper maturation of visual acuity in gerbils, we are comparing gerbils reared in normal light-dark cycles with those reared under complete darkness. From these studies, we will determine whether light is necessary for developmental sharpening of vision in diurnal rodents. This question is important to help understand ecological and evolutionary influences on the visual system and to determine if gerbils are a better animal model for human visual development.