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WILLIAM. J. TYLER Assistant Professor Ph.D., 2003 University of Alabama at Birmingham Send e-mail to wtyler@asu.edu

Research Interest

My scientific interests are anchored by a desire to better understand the basic properties of synaptic transmission and plasticity, as well as how the fundamental principles of synapse operation help to shape interactions between organism and environment. Quite generally, one may pose this problem by asking - how do neurons and synapses function to govern the way an animal perceives, responds to, and predicts interactions between itself and its environment? We use the rodent hippocampus as a model system to study several elementary aspects of synapse form and function. However, to address the above problem more specifically, across molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels of analysis, our primary experimental model is the rodent olfactory system.

Selected Publications

Tyler, W. J., G. Petzold, S. Pal, and V. N. Murthy (2007). Experience-dependent modification of primary sensory synapses in the mammalian olfactory bulb. Journal of Neuroscience 27 (35), 9427-9438.

Hojjati, M. R., G. M. van Woerden, W. J. Tyler, K. P. Giese, A. J. Silva, L. Pozzo-Miller, and Y. Elgersma (2007). Kinase activity is not required for aCaMKII-dependent presynaptic plasticity at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses. Nature Neuroscience 10 (9), 1125-1127.

Tyler, W. J., X-l Zhang, K. Hartman, J. Winterer, W. Muller, P.K. Stanton, L. Pozzo-Miller (2006). BDNF increases release probability and the size of a rapidly recycling vesicle pool within hippocampal excitatory synapses. Journal of Physiology, 574 (3), 787-803.

Li, Z., J. Burrone, W.J. Tyler, K.N. Hartman, D.F. Albeanu, V.N. Murthy (2005). Synaptic vesicle Recycling studied in transgenic mice expressing synaptopHluorin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 102 (17), 6131-6136 (Cover)

Tyler, W. J., and L. D. Pozzo-Miller (2003). Miniature synaptic transmission and BDNF modulate dendritic spine growth and form in rat CA1 pyramidal neurones. Journal of Physiology (London) 553(2), 497-509.

Tyler, W. J., and L. D. Pozzo-Miller (2001). BDNF enhances quantal neurotransmitter release and increases the number of docked vesicles at the active zones of hippocampal excitatory synapses. Journal of Neuroscience 21 (12), 4249-4258.

Selected Reviews

Tyler, W. J. and V. N. Murthy (2004). Synaptic vesicles. Current Biology 14(8), R294-297.

Tyler, W. J., M. A. Alonso, C. R. Bramham, and L. D. Pozzo-Miller (2002). From acquisition to consolidation: On the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in hippocampal-dependent learning. Learning and Memory 9 (5), 224-237 (Cover).