Synaptic Physiology Section - Division of Intramural Research

 Jeffrey S.  Diamond  Ph.D., Senior Investigator

Dr. Diamond received his B.S. from Duke University in 1989 and his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco in 1994, where he studied synaptic excitation of retinal ganglion cells with David Copenhagen. During a postdoctoral fellowship with Craig Jahr at the Vollum Institute, he investigated the effects of glutamate transporters on excitatory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus. Dr. Diamond joined NINDS as an investigator in 1999, was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering in 2000 and was promoted to senior investigator in 2007. His laboratory explores the dynamics and modulation of transmitter diffusion and receptor activation at excitatory synapses in the mammalian CNS.

Laboratory Staff

Will Grimes, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow , 301-435- 2750
Nicholas Oesch, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow , 301-594- 1086
Annalisa Scimemi, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow , 301-402- 5446
Christopher Thomas, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow , 301-496- 8252
Hua  Tian, B.S., Biologist
Jun Zhang, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow , 301-496- 8252

Research Interests

Excitatory, glutamatergic synapses mediate much of the interneuronal communication in the CNS. We have learned a great deal about the structural and molecular organization of these synapses, but many important physiological questions remain unresolved. How do the morphological characteristics of the synaptic cleft and the biophysical properties of neurotransmitter receptors influence synaptic signaling? How do transporters, which bind free glutamate and remove it from the extracellular space, limit the extent to which transmitter diffuses from its point of release? Can glutamate diffuse out of the cleft to activate receptors in neighboring synapses and, if so, how does this "spillover" degrade or enhance the information capacity of a neuronal network? How are these processes developmentally regulated? In the hippocampus, answers to these questions may give insight into the mechanisms by which learning and memory are implemented at the synaptic level. In the retina, they may help explain how visual information is transformed into a neural code and how the visual system's exquisite spatial acuity is preserved. We approach these questions experimentally using electrophysiological methods, including whole-cell recordings and excised patches, in hippocampal and retinal slice preparations.

Selected Recent Publications

Kalbaugh, TL, Zhang, J and Diamond, JS
Coagonist release modulates NMDA receptor subtype contributions at synaptic inputs to retinal ganglion cells - J. Neurosci.  29 1469-1479 2009

Zhang, J and Diamond, JS
Subunit- and Pathway-Specific Localization of NMDA Receptors and Scaffolding Proteins at Ganglion Cell Synapses in Rat Retina - J. Neurosci.  29 4274-4286 2009

Grimes WN, Li W, Chavez AE, Diamond JS
BK channels modulate pre- and postsynaptic signaling at reciprocal synapses in retina. - Nat. Neurosci.  12 585-592 2009

Chavez, AE and Diamond, JS
Diverse mechanisms underlie glycinergic feedback transmission onto rod bipolar cells in rat retina - J. Neurosci.  28 7919-7928 2008

Chavez, AE, Singer, JH and Diamond, JS
Fast neurotransmitter release triggered by Ca influx through AMPA-type glutamate receptors - Nature  443 705-708 2006

Singer, JH and Diamond, JS
Vesicle depletion and synaptic depression at a mammalian ribbon synapse - J. Neurophysiol.  95 3191-3198 2006

Selected Earlier Publications

Contact Information

Synaptic Physiology Section, NINDS Porter Neuroscience Research Center  Building 35, Room 3C-1000  35 Convent Drive, MSC 3701 Bethesda MD  20892-3701

Telephone: 301-435- 1896 (office), 301- 435-1897 (laboratory), 301-435- 1895 (fax), Email: diamondj@ninds.nih.gov