Jeff Lichtman, M.D.
Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Harvard University
Room 347, Northwest Building
52 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Telephone: 617 496-8943
Fax: 617-496-9590
Email: jeff@mcb.harvard.edu
Lab website: The Lichtman Lab
We are interested in the mechanics that underlie synaptic competition between neurons that innervate the same target cell. Such competitive interactions are responsible for sharpening the patterns of neural connections during development and may also be important in learning and memory formation. The laboratory studies synaptic competition by visualizing synaptic rearrangements directly in living animal using modern optical imaging techniques. We have concentrated on neuromuscular junctions in a very accessible neck muscle in mice where new transgenic animals and other labeling strategies allow individual nerve terminals and postsynaptic specializations to be monitored over hours or months. In addition, the lab has developed several new methods to improve our ability to resolve synaptic structure.
For a complete listing of Jeff Lichtman's publications on PubMed, click here.