Yale University · NeuroscienceVisual System Plasticity Lab
Jessica A Cardin · New Haven, Connecticut
Research Focus
Dr. Jessica A. Cardin's lab at Yale University studies how the adult brain can adapt and change in response to different visual experiences. By investigating the role of specific types of brain cells, known as somatostatin interneurons, the lab aims to uncover the mechanisms that allow the adult visual system to reorganize itself. This research could lead to new treatments for visual deficits caused by early life challenges.
neural plasticityvisual cortexinterneuronssomatostatinexperience-dependent plasticityoptogenetics2-photon imagingsynaptic physiologytherapeuticsvisual processing
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how varied visual experiences induce plasticity in the adult visual cortex.
AIM 02Identify the role of somatostatin interneurons in adult neural plasticity.
AIM 03Determine the cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying visual experience-dependent changes.
AIM 04Examine the effects of adult plasticity on visual encoding in the brain.
AIM 05Aim to develop therapeutic strategies based on our findings about neural plasticity.
Skills the Lab Values
2-photon imagingoptogenetic manipulationex vivo synaptic physiologymouse modelsElectrophysiologycell culturedata analysis with Pythonmicroscopyimmunohistochemistry
Output against the department
Publications106bottom 36% of dept.428th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations10ktop 38% of dept.258th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.