Harshad Vishwasrao
Phone 607-255-8034
Applied & Engineering Physics
212 Clark Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Research Description:
Intrinsic NADH fluorescence has been used for many years as a probe of the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, a technique known commonly as redox-fluorimetry. However, this technique is fundamentally limited by our understanding of NADH photophysics in vivo. Specifically, the excited state dynamics of NADH are highly sensitive to the local environment, which in turn is dependent on cellular compartmentation and metabolic state. This complex environmental effect makes the calibration of NADH as a metabolic indicator challenging.
My research has focused on using multiphoton imaging and ultrafast (time resolved) spectroscopy to develop a picture of the concentration and conformation of NADH in hippocampal slices as a function of metabolic state. We hope to use this work to elucidate the balance of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in neurons and glia as a function of their electrical activity induced metabolic load.
Last
update:
May 17, 2005