**Speaker: Dr. Timothy H. Murphy, University of British Columbia

**Time: Feb 27, 2013, 3:30-5:00 pm

**Place: Administration Building, Room 502

**Host by: Prof. Shumin Duan

**Speaker Brief Introduction:

Timothy H. Murphy, BSc, PhD

Affiliation Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Dr. Murphy is a basic scientist who applies high-resolution imaging techniques to questions involving stroke in live animals. Currently the laboratory is employing a variety of complimentary imaging modalities which permit resolution of individual synapses within living mice using 2-photon microscopy to regional imaging techniques which allow monitoring of brain function or blood flow. Dr. Murphy’s past teaching experience in microscopy methods includes an instructorship in the Cold Spring Harbor laboratories Imaging Neurons course, as well as the University of British Columbia 3D microscopy course. The aim of Dr. Murphy’s work is to understand the neurochemical and structural changes that occur to brain circuitry during the first few hours following an ischemic event as well as recovery over weeks to months. By combining high resolution structural imaging in live mice with the ability to do somatosensory response mapping, Dr. Murphy’s has evaluated relationships between synaptic structure and brain circuit function. His lab currently employs 2-photon microscopy for submicron resolution of synaptic elements in live brain tissues. The lab is also actively engaged in developing methods for mapping the mouse brain before and after stroke that employ light-activated ion channels such as channelrhodopsin-2. Knowledge from these imaging experiments could lead to new means of human therapeutics involving brain stimulation or recommendations concerning stroke treatment or rehabilitation.

Publications:

Dr. Murphy has very productive publications in high-impact journals, includingScience, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Method, Nature reviews, Neuron, PNAS, J Neuroscience, Stroke, JBC, JCBFM, JP, etc (highlighted publications)