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David M. Waitzman
Associate Professor of Neurology
waitzman@nso2.uchc.edu

• M.D., Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine and CUNY
• Neuroscience Graduate Program
• Not accepting students for Lab Rotations at this time

Areas of Interest: 1) Oculomotor system, control of rapid eye movements by the central Mesencephalic Reticular Formation (cMRF) and its relationship to the superior colliculus. 2) Oculomotor system: control of fixation. 3) Gaze system: Contribution of the cMRF to the control of gaze. 4) Models of the oculomotor system. Behavioral, neurochemical, and neurophysiologic techniques are used to explore how cells in the cMRF, which have reciprocal, topographic projections to the superior colliculus, participate in the control of combined head and eye movements (i.e., gaze). Our current hypothesis is that the cMRF participates in a decomposition of the gaze signal originating from the superior colliculus into separate head and eye streams. Single neuron electrophysiology, gaze (eye re: head) and head (re: space) movement measurements are used to examine whether the reticular formation carries signals about the current position, velocity, or acceleration of the head or eyes to the superior colliculus, Pontine Reticular Formation (PPRF) or cervical spinal cord. Reversible and irreversible lesions within the reticular formation are utilized to characterize its role in oculomotor control. Antidromic stimulation is used to confirm the target structures of reticular formation neuronal activity. These techniques provide data to model how the reticular formation might participate in gaze control. Future projects include correlation of neck EMG activity with the activity of neurons in the cMRF.

Publications

Selected Publications:

Waitzman, D. M., Pathmanathan, J., Presnell, R., Ayers, A., DePalma, S. The contribution of the Superior Colliculus and the Mesencephalic Reticular Formation (MRF) to Gaze Control In: Neurobiology of Eye Movements: From Molecules to Behavior (Eds: H.J. Kaminski and R. J. Leigh) New York Academy of Sciences: New York, In Press, 2002.

Waitzman, D. M., and Oliver, D. L., The Midbrain In: The Encyclopedia of the Human Brain (Ed: V. S. Ramachandran), Academic Press: San Diego, In Press, 2001.

Waitzman, D.M., Silakov V.L., DePalma-Bowles S.R., Ayers, A.S. Effects of reversible inactivation of primate Mesencephalic Reticular Formation. II. Hypometric vertical saccades. J. Neurophysiol. 83:2285-2299, 2000.

Waitzman, D. M., Silakov, V. L., DePalma, S. R., Ayers, A.S. Reversible inactivation of primate Mesencephalic Reticular Formation (MRF): I. Hypermetric goal-directed saccades. J Neurophysiol 2000a.

Waitzman, D.M., Silakov, V.L., DePalma, S.R., Ayers, A.S. Reversible inactivation of primate Mesencephalic Reticular Formation (MRF). II. Hypometric vertical saccades. J Neurophysiol 2000b.