Research Bio
One of our goals is to understand the cellular basis and psychophysical characteristics of visual perceptual plasticity in adulthood. We are particularly interested in contrasting the plastic potential of intact visual systems with the visual plasticity that can be attained by adult visual systems that have sustained permanent damage at different levels of their hierarchical organization. One avenue of research we are currently pursuing is to use anatomical tools, molecular biology, visual psychophysics, virtual reality and functional imaging (fMRI) to characterize changes at the cellular and systems levels that are key to the recovery of visual functions after brain damage in adulthood. We have recently begun applying this knowledge to patients with visual cortical damage following stroke, tumor or trauma with the ultimate goal of developing behavioral and pharmacological strategies to promote visual recovery following such damage.
Another area of research in the Huxlin lab deals with corneal wound healing and physiological optics. This work is intended to provide new insights into the biological causes and perceptual consequences of increased optical aberrations in the eye following manipulations or the ocular surface, including laser refractive surgery and corneal transplantation. Using anterior segment optical coherence tomography, in vivo confocal imaging, wavefront sensing, histology, cell culture and molecular biology, we are beginning to understand the relationship between different aspects of ocular wound healing and optical quality in the eye. This knowledge is essential for the ultimate development of both intra- and post-operative strategies to improve the optical outcome of ocular surgeries and wounds. In collaboration with Dr. Wayne Knox, we are also developing a revolutionary new refractive method called IRIS (for Intra-tissue Refractive Index Shaping). IRIS uses a low-energy, high-repetition rate femtosecond laser to non-invasively alter the refractive index and optical properties of different ocular tissues. Our initial work has focused on the cornea and lens, but we are now beginning to use IRIS to customize and correct aberrations in implanted IOLs. Because it does not cause tissue damage or cell death, IRIS offers great promise as a novel tool to non-invasively customize refractive power and higher order aberration correction without the side effects normally induced by wound healing.
2012 Nov
Martin T, Das A, Huxlin KR. "Visual cortical activity reflects faster accumulation of information from cortically blind fields." Brain : a journal of neurology. 2012 Nov 0; 135(Pt 11):3440-52. |
2012 Apr 18
Das A, Demagistris M, Huxlin KR. "Different properties of visual relearning after damage to early versus higher-level visual cortical areas." The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for
Neuroscience. 2012 Apr 18; 32(16):5414-25. |
2012 Jan
Kuriyan AE, Lehmann GM, Kulkarni AA, Woeller CF, Feldon SE, Hindman HB, Sime P, Huxlin KR, Phipps RP. "Electrophilic PPAR? ligands inhibit corneal fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation in vitro: a potentially novel therapy for corneal scarring." Experimental eye research. 2012 Jan 0; 94(1):136-45. Epub 2011 Dec 08. |
2011 Oct
Xu L, Knox WH, Demagistris M, Wang N, Huxlin KR. "Noninvasive intratissue refractive index shaping (IRIS) of the cornea with blue femtosecond laser light." Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 2011 Oct 0; 52(11):8148-55. Epub 2011 Oct 17. |
2011 Jun
Xi X, McMillan DH, Lehmann GM, Sime PJ, Libby RT, Huxlin KR, Feldon SE, Phipps RP. "Ocular fibroblast diversity: implications for inflammation and ocular wound healing." Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 2011 Jun 0; 52(7):4859-65. Epub 2011 Jul 01. |
