We know very little about how the human brain develops and change across the lifespan.
In my lab we study development of the human visual cortex.  My students and I are uncovering new insights about how our brain changes and how those changes affect how we see.
More than 20 areas in the human cortex process visual information and our studies are answering important questions.
  • We understand that maturation into our 30s is part of healthy brain development.  
  • We realize that cognitive and perceptual changes reflect molecular changes in the brain.
  • We know that we have learned a lot about how the human brain develops but there is much more to learn.
My students have done amazing research and gone on to pursue careers in academic and non-academic settings.

I'm looking for students who want to make the next big discovery about the human brain.
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This year I published a new book of protocols in the Springer Nature series of NeuroMethods books.
"This volume describes techniques to make synaptosomes, and discusses numerous ways that synaptosomes are used to study and answer diverse questions about synapses. After examining the history that led to making synaptosomes, the chapters delved into its important as a tool to explore synaptic connections. Some of the topics covered in this book are: synaptosome bioenergetics and glutamate release; affinity proteomics for interactome and phosphoproteome screening in synaptosomes; isolation of highly purified and functionally active synaptic mitochondria; and profiling of microRNA and protein from purified synaptoneurosomes in a neurodegenerative disease model. In Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your laboratory.
 Cutting-edge and thorough, Synaptosomes is a valuable resource for any researcher interested in learning more about this developing field."

We study the developing brain

  • We use a library of rare & valuable postmortem tissue samples from the human brain 
  • and a collection of animal models
  • to study development and plasticity in the visual areas of the brain

We study how normal and abnormal experience affects developing synapses and plasticity in the brain.

We use cellular and molecular tools to measure the expression of neural proteins, especially proteins involved in neuroplasticity, and we quantify how synaptic and non-synaptic proteins change across the lifespan and after different types of visual experience.

Human Brain Development

We found that development of the human brain is slow and the
visual cortex is not fully mature until about 35 years of age.

Experience & Neuroplasticity

We found that certain synaptic proteins important for regulating neuroplasticity are vulnerable to abnormal visual experience.

Promoting Recovery

We found that that perceptual training and binocular vision can promote recovery of vulnerable neuroplasticity mechanisms.

Who do you know that is interested in the human brain and wants to do graduate studies in neuroscience?

Come to work on translation

We are building models to translated synaptic age between animal models and humans.  This is important for translating biologically inspired treatments for a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Come to study synaptic plasticity

 We are comparing synaptic plasticity mechanisms in different areas of the human brain and in animal models to answer why certain visual behaviours are more or less plasticity.  This is important for finding new treatments for visual disorders.

Come to explore the human brain

We are uncovering new insights into how mechanisms regulating plasticity develop and change in the human brain.  This is important for understanding how the normal brain functions and the potential for recovery from visual, neurological or psychiatric disorders.
Here are the amazing students that I've had the pleasure to work with, supervise, mentor and learn from.  Email me if you are interested in learning more about the research in my lab (kmurphy@mcmaster.ca).  You can also look at our publications listed below.

THE DETAILS ARE IN OUR PUBLICATIONS

Thank you for visiting the Visual Neuroscience Lab webpage.
Please contact me if you have questions -- Dr Kathryn Murphy
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