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Jonathan Demb, PhD

Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
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About

Titles

Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science

Biography

Jonathan Demb is a Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science with secondary appointments in the Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology and the Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Demb obtained his doctoral degree from Stanford University and did postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania. Demb was a faculty member at the University of Michigan before moving to Yale in 2011.

The Demb lab investigates the cellular and synaptic mechanisms that enable visual processing by the mammalian retina. Major accomplishments include identifying fundamental nonlinearities at retinal synapses that mediate specialized spatial processing by retinal ganglion cells; elucidating the role of disinhibition in visual contrast processing; characterizing asymmetries between the retina's ON and OFF pathways; determining roles of NMDA-type glutamate receptors in ganglion cell receptive fields; identifying characteristic properties of cone-mediated vision in the mouse retina; developing the use of a glutamate sensor (iGluSnFR) for study of retinal circuitry; identifying novel amacrine cell circuits using optogenetic technology; and testing experimental therapies in mouse models of retinal disease. Demb is a Reviewing Editor at the Journal of Neuroscience and is on the Editorial Board of PLoS Biology. He was awarded the Cogan Award in 2013 from the Associate for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) to recognize his contributions to the field of retinal neuroscience.

Appointments

Education & Training

Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Pennsylvania (2003)
PhD
Stanford University (1997)
BA
Boston University (1993)

Research

Overview

Current projects include: optogenetic techniques to define new interneuron circuits in the retina; optical imaging of neurotransmitter release in retinal circuitry; elucidating the role of NMDA receptors in visual processing; cellular basis of visual adaptation; mechanisms of retinal disease.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Adaptation, Physiological; Neurophysiology; Retinal Bipolar Cells; Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Synapses

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Jonathan Demb's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2021

2020

2018

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

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    NIH

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    Journal of Neuroscience

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    PLoS Biology

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    Board of Scientific Counselors

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    Journal of Neuroscience

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