Sharma Sansar, Ph.D., discovered neural plasticity in the formation of optic nerve connections to the brain centers in lower vertebrates with Michael Gaze at Edinburgh University. In subsequent studies, the extent of this phenomenon was explored in higher vertebrates, specifically in experimental glaucoma in rats and pigs. Since there is selective cell death of ganglion cells in the eye in glaucoma, the fate of the remaining cells was explored with the anatomical, pharmacological, electrophysiological, and behavioral aspects. These ongoing studies gave further credence to the phenomenon of plasticity.
Education
- Post-Doctoral Fellow, Washington University, St. Louis, M.O.
- Ph.D., Physiology, University of Edinburgh, School of Medicine, U.K.
- Master's, Panjab University, India
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Undergraduate, Panjab University, India
Areas of Expertise
- Neural Specificity
- Plasticity in the Formation of Nerve Connections
- Neuroscience
- Glaucoma
Honors and Awards
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine, London
- Honoris Causa Doctorate Faculty of Medicine, Bilbao Spain
- Best teacher awards, New York Medical College
- Research Career Development Award, NIH
- Curriculum innovation award, New York Medical College
- Marine Biology Labs Summer Fellowship
- I.N.S.E.R.M. Fellowship, France
Research
- Regeneration of peripheral nerve i.e. recurrent laryngeal nerve in rats
- Spinal cord regeneration in lower vertebrates
- Development and regeneration of visual system
- Neurobiology of axonal regeneration
- Regeneration in the spinal cord
- Experimental Glaucoma and changes in the visual pathway
Publications
Professional Service
- Editor, Encyclopedia Glaucoma section, MDPI Journals
- Member, Editorial Board, Glaucoma
- External reviewer for Experimental Eye Research, Investigative Opthalmology and Visual Science, Journal of Comparative Neurology, and 10 others
Memberships and Affiliations
- Society for Neuroscience
Teaching Responsibilities
- Neuroscience, Medical School
- Neuroscience, Physical Therapy
- Histology, Graduate School
- Basic science course for residents in Ophthalmology
