Wei R. Chen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Neurobiology

Research Interest and Projects

My research interest focuses on understanding how the nervous system encodes, processes and stores information.  We use the mammalian olfactory bulb as a model system.  Compared with other parts of the central nervous system, the olfactory bulb offers numerous advantages: 1) it is only one synapse away from the peripheral sensory organ, which makes functional analysis relatively simple; 2) it is a beautifully laminated structure and is well suited for functional imaging; 3) the unique organization of dendrodendritic circuits furnishes some unusual opportunities for studying signal integration in dendrites and presynaptic transmitter release; 4) powerful molecular biology tools enable us to manipulate olfactory bulb circuits and to visualize their functional dynamics with engineered GFP probes.

We are currently working on three major projects: 1) analyze the mechanisms that regulate action potential traffic in mitral cell dendrites, and test if the control of action potential propagation can dynamically regulate dendrodendritic synaptic transmission; 2) analyze presynaptic mechanisms that underlie neurotransmitter release from mitral and granule cell dendrites, and test if these reciprocal synapses are the major loci for synaptic plasticity and olfactory memory; 3) develop new animal models for in vivo functional imaging, and test if oscillation and firing synchrony can organize olfactory bulb neurons into dynamic cell ensembles for olfactory coding and processing.

Experimental Approaches

In order to understand how the olfactory system works, we need to integrate data from many different levels of analysis, from molecular biology to cellular physiology and to in vivo whole animal experiments.  To meet such a challenge, we have developed a wide range of techniques, including gene targeting of engineered GFP probes, recording from dendrites, calcium and voltage imaging, caged compounds, two-photon laser scanning microscopy and computational modeling.

Selected Publications

Chen, W.R., Shen, G.Y., Shepherd, G.M., Hines, M.L., and Midtgaard, J. (2002) Multiple modes of action potential initiation and propagation in mitral cell primary dendrite.  J. Neurophysiol. 88: 2755-2764.

Xiong, W., and Chen, W.R. (2002) Dynamic gating of spike propagation in the mitral cell lateral dendrites.  Neuron 34: 115-126.

Chen, W.R., Midtgaard, J. and Shepherd, G.M. (1997) Forward and backward propagation of dendritic impulses and their synaptic control in mitral cells. Science 278: 463-467.

Chen, W.R., Xiong, W. and Shepherd, G.M. (2000) Analysis of relations between NMDA receptors and GABA release at olfactory bulb reciprocal synapses.  Neuron  25: 625-633.