Martha Constantine-Paton
Encyclopedia
Martha Constantine-Paton is a neuroscientist at MIT. She is a member of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research
and a professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Prior to joining MIT in 1999 she held faculty appointments at Yale and Princeton Universities. She is an expert on synaptic plasticity and brain development, particularly visual development. She is known for her studies on three-eyed frogs, a demonstration of neural plasticity in which a third eye grafted into a developing tadpole produces a pattern of overlapping connections that resemble mammalian ocular dominance columns. Using this system, she and her colleagues demonstrated the importance of NMDA receptor
s in development plasticity. She currently studies the molecular mechanisms that underlie the brain’s response to visual experience. Her work is also relevant to understanding the mechanisms of schizophrenia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(Lou Gehrig's disease).
McGovern Institute for Brain Research
The McGovern Institute for Brain Research is a research institute within MIT. Its mission is to understand how the brain works and to discover new ways to prevent or treat brain disorders...
and a professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Prior to joining MIT in 1999 she held faculty appointments at Yale and Princeton Universities. She is an expert on synaptic plasticity and brain development, particularly visual development. She is known for her studies on three-eyed frogs, a demonstration of neural plasticity in which a third eye grafted into a developing tadpole produces a pattern of overlapping connections that resemble mammalian ocular dominance columns. Using this system, she and her colleagues demonstrated the importance of NMDA receptor
NMDA receptor
The NMDA receptor , a glutamate receptor, is the predominant molecular device for controlling synaptic plasticity and memory function....
s in development plasticity. She currently studies the molecular mechanisms that underlie the brain’s response to visual experience. Her work is also relevant to understanding the mechanisms of schizophrenia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
(Lou Gehrig's disease).