Ben A. Barres, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology

Our laboratory is interested in the development and function of glial cells in the mammalian central nervous system. Whereas neurons interconnect to form electrically active circuits, the role of the glia is a mystery. Do glial cells just provide a passive framework that supports, nourishes, and insulates neurons, or, in addition, do glial cells play more active roles in signaling and plasticity? To understand the interactions between neurons and glial cells we have developed methods to highly purify and culture rodent retinal ganglion cells (neurons) as well as the glial cell types they interact with, oligodendrocytes and fibrous astrocytes, from the rodent optic nerve. We are using a variety of methods to address these issues including cell purification by immunopanning, tissue culture, patch clamping, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology. Currently we are focusing on several questions:

(1) What are the cell-cell interactions that control oligodendrocyte development, myelination and node of Ranvier formation?

(2) Do glial cells play a role in synapse formation and function?

(3) What are the signals that promote the survival and growth of retinal ganglion cells and can we use this knowledge to promote their survival and regeneration after injury?

(4) How do protoplasmic astrocytes, the main glial cell type in gray matter, develop and what is their function?

We have found evidence of several novel glial derived signals that induce the onset of myelination, the clustering of axonal sodium channels, the survival of retinal ganglion cells and the formation of synapses. We are characterizing these processes and are attempting to identify the glial-derived molecules.