NYMC > Faculty > Faculty Profiles > By Name > Ross, William

William N. Ross, Ph.D.

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Professor of Physiology

Email: william_ross@nymc.edu

Address:

Department of Physiology
Basic Sciences Building
New York Medical College
Valhalla, NY 10595

 

Professional interests:

My laboratory is interested in the details of synaptic interactions and integration in dendrites, axons and spines of CNS neurons – in particular pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus and cortex. These regions of neurons are generally difficult to study using electrical recordings alone. Consequently, we are developing and applying optical techniques to examine these processes. In particular, we use calcium and sodium sensitive fluorescent molecules to detect changes in sodium and calcium concentration in these neurons in brain slices from the rat and mouse. Together with sophisticated laser illumination and high-speed cameras we can detect signals from very small structures that relate to synaptic currents and electrical activity. These measurements, combined with anatomical and molecular information from other sources, can provide a more complete understanding of the biophysical mechanisms underlying more global questions like the mechanisms of learning and memory, or neurological problems like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson disease.

Education Profile:

Postdoctoral Training: Yale Physiology and Harvard Neurobiology
Graduate Education: Physics, Columbia University
Undergraduate Education: Columbia College

Selected Bibliography:

1. Nakamura T, Barbara JG, Nakamura K, Ross WN. Synergistic release of Ca2+ from IP3- sensitive stores evoked by synaptic activation of mGluRs paired with backpropagating action potentials. Neuron. 1999 Nov;24(3):727-37. PubMed PMID: 10595522.

2. Fleidervish IA, Lasser-Ross N, Gutnick MJ, Ross WN. Na+ imaging reveals little difference in action potential-evoked Na+ influx between axon and soma. Nat Neurosci. 2010 Jul;13(7):85260. PubMed PMID: 20543843; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3102307.

3. Ross WN. Understanding calcium waves and sparks in central neurons. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2012 Feb 8;13(3):157-68. PubMed PMID: 22314443; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4501263.

4. Miyazaki K, Ross WN. Ca2+ sparks and puffs are generated and interact in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron dendrites. J Neurosci. 2013 Nov 6;33(45):17777-88. PubMed PMID: 24198368; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3818551.

5. Miyazaki K, Ross WN. Simultaneous Sodium and Calcium Imaging from Dendrites and Axons. eNeuro. 2015 October 14; 2(5): e0092. PMID: 26730401

6. Miyazaki K and Ross WN. (2017) Sodium dynamics in pyramidal neuron dendritic spines: synaptically evoked entry predominantly through AMPA receptors and removal by diffusion. J. Neurosci. 37:9964-9976. PMID: 28904093.

See complete bibliography for William N. Ross