Marla Feller

Marla Feller is a Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, affiliated with the Department of BIO. Her research focuses on the mechanisms guiding the assembly of neural circuits during development, using the retina as a model system. She employs techniques such as two-photon imaging, electrophysiology, and anatomical approaches to investigate retinal waves and their role in retinal development and connectivity. Her work also explores direction selectivity in retinal ganglion cells and interactions between retinal waves and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. Feller's research addresses how immature circuits generate spontaneous activity and how these patterns influence neural development.

Marla B. Feller is a Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley, whose research focuses on neurobiology, development, and physiology. Her work explores the mechanisms underlying spontaneous patterned activity in developing neural circuits, particularly in the visual system. Feller investigates how spontaneous retinal waves and correlated activity contribute to the refinement of retinal projections and the formation of visual maps. Her studies also examine the role of cholinergic transmission and synaptic competition in retinogeniculate patterning. By analyzing the development of direction-selective retinal ganglion cells and the function of neurotransmitters and gap junctions, Feller contributes to understanding how neural circuits are assembled during early development.