Neurosciences

• Dr. Mathers works on two areas of the
brain-the eye and the portion of the brain
that responds to sound.

• In the area of the eye, he is focused on the
function of the gene that is crucial for eye
formation-if the gene doesn't work, the
eye doesn't form. He looks at how this
gene is controlled and how it works. If the
eye is damaged in some animals-fish,
frogs, and chickens, it regenerates
naturally.

• If science could figure out a way to
stimulate these precursor cells, such a
treatment might fix some types of retinal
injuries and blindness. For certain
conditions, it would be beneficial to
stimulate these stem cells. In other
conditions, doctors may want to stop cell
growth and prevent further damage.

Dr. Mathers is also working with others on how neural pathways develop within the portion of the brain that processes sounds.