S. Murray Sherman, PhD

The research in the laboratory is directed at issues of thalamic functional organization and thalamocortical relationships, mainly using the visual and somatosensory pathways in the mouse as experimental models. We use a broad interdisciplinary approach, attempting to answer the same or closely related questions with several different techniques. More specifically, we use neuroanatomical techniques to explore various circuits; we use in vitro recordings from brain slices to study cell and synaptic properties; and we record from in vivo preparations to evaluate these circuits in whole animals using an awake, behaving preparation to determine the relationship between behavioral and cognitive parameters and thalamocortical functioning.



Stimulation techniques in slices include electrical activation and laser photostimulation involving both uncaging of glutamate (or GABA) and optogenetics; recording involves mainly patching of single neurons and imaging via flavoprotein autofluorescence. For in vivo recording, we use conventional single cell electrophysiology, current source density analysis, and have recently imported the technique of 2-photon calcium imaging, which enables us to follow responses of hundreds of cortical cells simultaneously. To activate or inhibit specific pathways we use optogenetics and DREAD (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) techniques often involving specific mouse genetic lines (e.g., involving Cre expression in transgenic mouse lines)

Oxford University
Oxford, England
M.A. (Honorary) - Neuroscience
1985

Australian National University
Canberra, Australia
NA - Postdoctoral training in neurophysiology
1972

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Ph.D. - Neuroanatomy
1969

California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
B.S. - Biology
1965

Assessing Equitable Inclusion of Underrepresented Older Adults in Alzheimer's Disease, Related Cognitive Disorders, and Aging-Related Research: A Scoping Review.
Assessing Equitable Inclusion of Underrepresented Older Adults in Alzheimer's Disease, Related Cognitive Disorders, and Aging-Related Research: A Scoping Review. Gerontologist. 2023 07 18; 63(6):1067-1077.
PMID: 35472166

Assessing Equitable Inclusion of Underrepresented Older Adults in Alzheimer's Disease, Related Cognitive Disorders, and Aging-Related Research: A Scoping Review.
Assessing Equitable Inclusion of Underrepresented Older Adults in Alzheimer's Disease, Related Cognitive Disorders, and Aging-Related Research: A Scoping Review. Gerontologist. 2022 Apr 26.
PMID: 35472166

Cortical control of behavior and attention from an evolutionary perspective.
Cortical control of behavior and attention from an evolutionary perspective. Neuron. 2021 10 06; 109(19):3048-3054.
PMID: 34297915

Layer 5 Corticofugal Projections from Diverse Cortical Areas: Variations on a Pattern of Thalamic and Extrathalamic Targets.
Layer 5 Corticofugal Projections from Diverse Cortical Areas: Variations on a Pattern of Thalamic and Extrathalamic Targets. J Neurosci. 2020 07 22; 40(30):5785-5796.
PMID: 32532890

Transgender Women's Concerns and Preferences on Potential Future Long-Acting Biomedical HIV Prevention Strategies: The Case of Injections and Implanted Medication Delivery Devices (IMDDs).
Transgender Women's Concerns and Preferences on Potential Future Long-Acting Biomedical HIV Prevention Strategies: The Case of Injections and Implanted Medication Delivery Devices (IMDDs). AIDS Behav. 2020 May; 24(5):1452-1462.
PMID: 31654172

Thalamocortical Circuit Motifs: A General Framework.
Thalamocortical Circuit Motifs: A General Framework. Neuron. 2019 09 04; 103(5):762-770.
PMID: 31487527

Convergent synaptic inputs to layer 1 cells of mouse cortex.
Convergent synaptic inputs to layer 1 cells of mouse cortex. Eur J Neurosci. 2019 06; 49(11):1388-1399.
PMID: 30585669

A Sensorimotor Pathway via Higher-Order Thalamus.
A Sensorimotor Pathway via Higher-Order Thalamus. J Neurosci. 2019 01 23; 39(4):692-704.
PMID: 30504278

My prolonged collaboration with Ray Guillery.
My prolonged collaboration with Ray Guillery. Eur J Neurosci. 2019 04; 49(7):928-937.
PMID: 29520891

Corticofugal circuits: Communication lines from the cortex to the rest of the brain.
Corticofugal circuits: Communication lines from the cortex to the rest of the brain. J Comp Neurol. 2019 02 15; 527(3):640-650.
PMID: 29524229

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Professorial Fellow
St. John’s College of Oxford University
2010 - 2010

Dr. Lee Visiting Research Fellow
of Christ Church College of University of Oxford
2000 - 2001

Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Foundation
2000 - 2001

Guest Professor
University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei
1998 - 2000

Newton Abraham Visiting Professor
Lincoln College of Oxford University
1985 - 1986

Honorary M.A. degree
Oxford University
1985 - 1985