![Frank Sengpiel FLSW, DPhil Oxon](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/1215?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Professor Frank Sengpiel
FLSW, DPhil Oxon
Emeritus Professor
School of Biosciences
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
We study development and plasticity of the primary visual cortex (V1) and the physiological and molecular basis of common developmental disorders of vision such as lazy eye as well as neurodevelopmental disorders such as Fragile X and Timothy Syndrome. We are also interested in visual processing in higher visual areas and its relation to behavioural responses. Visuospatial processing and spatial memory in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is another major focus of research in our lab. Using two-photon calcium imaging we visualise the activity of individual neurons in the brain regions of interest and track them over time.
Roles
- Head of Division: Head of Neuroscience Division
- Module Lead: BI3452 - Systems Neuroscience
- Academic Team Leader.
Interested in joining my lab as a self-funded post-graduate student or a postdoc/fellow? Please contact me by email.
Publication
2023
- Craddock, R., Vasalauskaite, A., Ranson, A. and Sengpiel, F. 2023. Experience dependent plasticity of higher visual cortical areas in the mouse. Cerebral Cortex 33(15), pp. 9303-9312. (10.1093/cercor/bhad203)
2022
- Barkus, C. et al. 2022. Refinements to rodent head fixation and fluid/food control for neuroscience. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 381, article number: 109705. (10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109705)
- Vorobyov, V., Deev, A., Oganesyan, Z., Sengpiel, F. and Ustyugov, A. A. 2022. Baseline electroencephalogram and its evolution after activation of dopaminergic system by apomorphine in middle-aged 5xfad transgenic mice, a model of alzheimer’s disease. Dynamics 2(4), pp. 356-366. (10.3390/dynamics2040020)
- Broom, E., Imbriotis, V., Sengpiel, F., Connelly, W. M. and Ranson, A. 2022. Recruitment of frontal-sensory circuits during visual discrimination. Cell Reports 39(10), article number: 110932. (10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110932)
2021
- Aggleton, J. P., Yanakieva, S., Sengpiel, F. and Nelson, A. J. 2021. The separate and combined properties of the granular (area 29) and dysgranular (area 30) retrosplenial cortex. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 185, article number: 107516. (10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107516)
- Georgeson, M. A. and Sengpiel, F. 2021. Contrast adaptation and interocular transfer in cortical cells: a re-analysis & a two-stage gain-control model of binocular combination. Vision Research 185, pp. 29-49. (10.1016/j.visres.2021.03.004)
- Vorobyov, V., Deev, A., Sengpiel, F., Nebogatikov, V. and Ustyugov, A. A. 2021. Cortical and striatal electroencephalograms and apomorphine effects in the FUS mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 81(4), pp. 1429-1443. (10.3233/JAD-201472)
2020
- Powell, A. et al. 2020. Stable encoding of visual cues in the mouse retrosplenial cortex. Cerebral Cortex 30(8), pp. 4424-4437. (10.1093/cercor/bhaa030)
- Sun, S., Erchova, I., Sengpiel, F. and Votruba, M. 2020. Opa1 deficiency leads to diminished mitochondrial bioenergetics with compensatory increased mitochondrial motility. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 61(6), article number: 42. (10.1167/iovs.61.6.42)
- Vorobyov, V., Medvinskaya, N., Deev, A., Sengpiel, F., Bobkova, N. and Lunin, S. 2020. Spatial memory deficits initiated by agroclavine injection or olfactory bulbectomy in rats are characterized by different levels of long-term potentiation expression in the hippocampus. International Journal of Neuroscience 130(12), pp. 1225-1229. (10.1080/00207454.2020.1732963)
2019
- Tribble, J. R. et al. 2019. Midget retinal ganglion cell dendritic and mitochondrial degeneration is an early feature of human glaucoma. Brain Communications 1(1), article number: fcz035. (10.1093/braincomms/fcz035)
- Dillingham, C. M. et al. 2019. Mammillothalamic disconnection alters hippocampocortical oscillatory activity and microstructure: Implications for diencephalic amnesia. Journal of Neuroscience 39(34), pp. 6696-6713. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0827-19.2019)
- Vorobyov, V. et al. 2019. Loss of midbrain dopamine neurons and altered apomorphine EEG effects in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 70(1), pp. 241-256. (10.3233/JAD-181246)
- Vasalauskaite, A., Morgan, J. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2019. Plasticity in adult mouse visual cortex following optic nerve injury. Cerebral Cortex 29(4), pp. 1767-1777. (10.1093/cercor/bhy347)
2018
- Tribble, J. R., Williams, P. A., Caterson, B., Sengpiel, F. and Morgan, J. E. 2018. Digestion of the glycosaminoglycan extracellular matrix by chondroitinase ABC supports retinal ganglion cell dendritic preservation in a rodent model of experimental glaucoma. Molecular Brain 11(1), article number: 69. (10.1186/s13041-018-0412-5)
- Sengpiel, F. 2018. Overview: neuroplasticity and synaptic function in neuropsychiatric disorders. The Journal of Physiology 596(14), pp. 2745-2746. (10.1113/JP275940)
- Milczarek, M. M., Vann, S. D. and Sengpiel, F. 2018. Spatial memory engram in the mouse retrosplenial cortex. Current Biology 28(12), pp. 1975-1980.e6. (10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.002)
- Mitchell, D. and Sengpiel, F. 2018. Animal models of amblyopia. Visual Neuroscience 35, article number: e017. (10.1017/S0952523817000244)
- Je, S., Ennis, F. A., Woodhouse, J. M., Sengpiel, F. and Redmond, T. 2018. Spatial summation across the visual field in strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia. Scientific Reports 8, article number: 3858. (10.1038/s41598-018-21620-6)
- Erchova, I., Tumlinson, A. R., Fergusson, J., White, N., Drexler, W., Sengpiel, F. and Morgan, J. 2018. Optophysiological characterisation of inner retina responses with high-resolution optical coherence tomography. Scientific Reports 8, article number: 1813. (10.1038/s41598-018-19975-x)
2017
- Gordon, R. et al. 2017. Intrahippocampal pathways involved in learning/memory mechanisms are affected by intracerebral infusions of amyloid-beta25-35 peptide and hydrated fullerene C60 in rats. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 58(3), pp. 711-724. (10.3233/JAD-161182)
- Erchova, I., Vasalauskaite, A., Longo, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2017. Enhancement of visual cortex plasticity by dark exposure. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 372(1715), article number: 20160159. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0159)
- Keck, T. et al. 2017. Integrating Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity: the current state of the field and future research directions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B - Biological Sciences 372(1715), article number: 20160158. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0158)
- Sengpiel, F. 2017. Animals Models of Amblyopia, in Amblyopia: challenges and opportunities. Project Report. [Online]. Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. Available at: http://www.laskerfoundation.org/new-noteworthy/articles/amblyopia-challenges/
2016
- Frizzati, A., Milczarek, M. M., Sengpiel, F., Thomas, K. L., Dillingham, C. M. and Vann, S. D. 2016. Comparable reduction in Zif268 levels and cytochrome oxidase activity in the retrosplenial cortex following mammillothalamic tract lesions. Neuroscience 330, pp. 39-49. (10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.05.030)
- Bobkova, N. et al. 2016. Immunization against specific fragments of neurotrophin p75 receptor protects forebrain cholinergic neurons in the olfactory bulbectomized mice. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 53(1), pp. 289-301. (10.3233/JAD-160146)
2015
- Vorobyov, V., Kaptsov, V., Gordon, R., Makarova, E., Podolski, I. and Sengpiel, F. 2015. Neuroprotective effects of hydrated fullerene C-60: cortical and hippocampal EEG interplay in an amyloid-infused rat model of Alzheimer's disease. American Journal of Alzheimers Disease 45(1), pp. 217-233. (10.3233/JAD-142469)
2014
- Tribble, J. R., Cross, S. D., Samsel, P. A., Sengpiel, F. and Morgan, J. E. 2014. A novel system for the classification of diseased retinal ganglion cells. Visual Neuroscience 31(6), pp. 373-380. (10.1017/S0952523814000248)
- Sengpiel, F. 2014. Plasticity of the visual cortex and treatment of amblyopia [Review]. Current Biology 24(18), pp. R936-R940. (10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.063)
- Hughes, N. J., Hunt, J. J., Cloherty, S. L., Ibbotson, M. R., Sengpiel, F. and Goodhill, G. J. 2014. Stripe-rearing changes multiple aspects of the structure of primary visual cortex. NeuroImage 95, pp. 305-319. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.03.031)
2013
- Ranson, A., Sengpiel, F. and Fox, K. D. 2013. The role of GluA1 in ocular dominance plasticity in the mouse visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 33(38), pp. 15220-15225. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2078-13.2013)
- Sengpiel, F. 2013. Amblyopia: Out of the dark, into the light. Current Biology 23(5), pp. R195-R196. (10.1016/j.cub.2013.01.034)
- Kind, P. C., Sengpiel, F., Beaver, C. J., Crocker-Buque, A., Kelly, G. M., Matthews, R. T. and Mitchell, D. E. 2013. The development and activity-dependent expression of aggrecan in the cat visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex 23(2), pp. 349-360. (10.1093/cercor/bhs015)
- Vorobyov, V., Kwok, J. C. F., Fawcett, J. W. and Sengpiel, F. 2013. Effects of digesting chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans on plasticity in cat primary visual cortex. The Journal of Neuroscience 33(1), pp. 234-243. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2283-12.2013)
2012
- Jaffer, S., Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2012. Effects of different forms of monocular deprivation on primary visual cortex maps. Visual Neuroscience 29(4-5), pp. 247-253. (10.1017/S0952523812000260)
- Jaffer, S., Vorobyov, V., Kind, P. C. and Sengpiel, F. 2012. Experience-dependent regulation of functional maps and synaptic protein expression in the cat visual cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience 35(8), pp. 1281-1294. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08044.x)
- Ranson, A., Cheetham, C. E., Fox, K. D. and Sengpiel, F. 2012. Homeostatic plasticity mechanisms are required for juvenile, but not adult, ocular dominance plasticity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109(4), pp. 1311-1316. (10.1073/pnas.1112204109)
2011
- Sengpiel, F. 2011. Experimental models of amblyopia: Insights for prevention and treatment. Strabismus 19(3), pp. 87-90. (10.3109/09273972.2011.600419)
- Vorobyov, V., Kaptsov, V., Kovalev, G. and Sengpiel, F. 2011. Effects of nootropics on the EEG in conscious rats and their modification by glutamatergic inhibitors. Brain Research Bulletin 85(3-4), pp. 123-132. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2011.02.011)
- Vorobyov, V., Schibaev, N., Kaptsov, V., Kovalev, G. and Sengpiel, F. 2011. Cortical and hippocampal EEG effects of neurotransmitter agonists in spontaneously hypertensive vs. kainate-treated rats. Brain Research 1383, pp. 154-168. (10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.107)
- Mitchell, D., Sengpiel, F., Hamilton, D., Schwarzkopf, D. S. and Kennie, J. 2011. Protection against deprivation amblyopia depends on relative not absolute daily binocular exposure. Journal of Vision 11(7), pp. 1-11. (10.1167/11.7.13)
2009
- Hunt, J. J. et al. 2009. Natural scene statistics and the structure of orientation maps in the visual cortex. NeuroImage 47(1), pp. 157-172. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.03.052)
- Mitchell, D. E., Kennie, J., Schwarzkopf, D. S. and Sengpiel, F. 2009. Daily mixed visual experience that prevents amblyopia in cats does not always allow the development of good binocular depth perception. Journal of Vision 9(5), article number: 22. (10.1167/9.5.22)
- Howarth, C. M., Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2009. Interocular transfer of adaptation in the primary visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex 19(8), pp. 1835-1843. (10.1093/cercor/bhn211)
- Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2009. Neural mechanisms of recovery following early visual deprivation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London Series B 364(1515), pp. 383-398. (10.1098/rstb.2008.0192)
2008
- Sengpiel, F. 2008. Binocular vision: only half a brain needed. Current Biology 18(22), pp. R1054-R1056. (10.1016/j.cub.2008.09.037)
- Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2008. Apomorphine-induced differences in cortical and striatal EEG and their glutamatergic mediation in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats. Experimental Brain Research 191(3), pp. 277-87.
- Farkas, E., Pratt, R., Sengpiel, F. and Obrenovitch, T. P. 2008. Direct, live imaging of cortical spreading depression and anoxic depolarisation using a fluorescent, voltage-sensitive dye. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 28(2), pp. 251-62. (10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600569)
- Vorobyov, V., Schwarzkopf, D. S., Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2008. Discordant binocular or mixed monocular-binocular vision reliability of cortical responses to binocular disparity stimuli dependent on the order of presentation. FENS Abstracts 4, article number: 54.45.
- Sengpiel, F., Vorobyov, V., Schwarzkopf, D. S. and Mitchell, D. E. 2008. Brief daily binocular vision prevents the behavioural and physiological effects of monocular deprivation. FENS Abstracts 4, pp. 131-132.
2007
- Schwarzkopf, D. S., Vorobyov, V., Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2007. Brief daily binocular vision prevents monocular deprivation effects in visual cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience 25(1), pp. 270-280. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.05273.x)
- Sengpiel, F. 2007. The critical period. Current Biology 17(17), pp. R742-R743. (10.1016/j.cub.2007.06.017)
- Vorobyov, V., Schwarzkopf, D. S., Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2007. Monocular deprivation reduces reliability of visual cortical responses to binocular disparity stimuli. European Journal of Neuroscience 26(12), pp. 3553-3563. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05946.x)
2006
- Mitchell, D. E., Kind, P. C., Sengpiel, F. and Murphy, K. 2006. Short periods of concordant binocular vision prevent the development of deprivation amblyopia. European Journal of Neuroscience 23(9), pp. 2458-2466. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.04755.x)
- Sengpiel, F. 2006. Motion perception is learned, not innate. Nature Neuroscience 9(5), pp. 591-592. (10.1038/nn0506-591)
- Sengpiel, F., Eysel, U., Jirmann, K. and Vorobyov, V. 2006. Strabismic suppression is mediated by inhibitory interactions in the primary visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex 16(12), pp. 1750-1758. (10.1093/cercor/bhj110)
- Faulkner, S. D., Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2006. Visual cortical recovery from reverse occlusion depends on concordant binocular experience. Journal of Neurophysiology 95(3), pp. 1718-1726. (10.1152/jn.00912.2005)
2005
- Faulkner, S. D., Sengpiel, F. and Vorobyov, V. 2005. Limited protection of the primary visual cortex from the effects of monocular deprivation by strabismus. Cerebral Cortex 15(11), pp. 1822-1833. (10.1093/cercor/bhi059)
- Sengpiel, F. and Vorobyov, V. 2005. Intracortical origins of interocular suppression in the visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, pp. 6394-6400. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0862-05.2005)
- Sengpiel, F. 2005. Visual cortex: overcoming a no-go for plasticity. Current Biology 15(24), pp. R1000-R1002. (10.1016/j.cub.2005.11.050)
2004
- Zapeda, A., Arias, C. and Sengpiel, F. 2004. Optical imaging of intrinsic signals: recent developments in the methodology and its applications. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 136(1), pp. 1-21. (10.1016/j.jneumeth.2004.02.025)
- Zepeda, A., Sengpiel, F., Angel Guagnelli, M., Vaca, L. and Arias, C. 2004. Functional reorganization of visual cortex maps after ischemic lesions is accompanied by changes in expression of cytoskeletal proteins and NMDA and GABAA receptor subunits. Journal of Neuroscience 24(8), pp. 1812-1821. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3213-03.2004)
- Carandini, M. and Sengpiel, F. 2004. Contrast invariance of functional maps in cat primary visual cortex. Journal of Vision 4(3), article number: 1. (10.1167/4.3.1)
- Sengpiel, F. 2004. Vision: in the brain of the beholder. Current Biology 14(23), pp. R997-R999. (10.1016/j.cub.2004.11.021)
2003
- Mitchell, D. E., Kind, P. C., Sengpiel, F. and Murphy, K. 2003. Brief daily periods of binocular vision prevent deprivation-induced acuity loss. Current Biology 13(19), pp. 1704-1708. (10.1016/j.cub.2003.09.026)
2002
- Kind, P. C., Mitchell, D. E., Ahmed, B., Blakemore, C., Bonhoeffer, T. and Sengpiel, F. 2002. Correlated binocular activity guides recovery from monocular deprivation. Nature, pp. 430-433. (10.1038/416430a)
- Sengpiel, F. and Kind, P. C. 2002. The role of activity in development of the visual system. Current Biology 12(23), pp. R818-R826. (10.1016/S0960-9822(02)01318-0)
- Sengpiel, F. and Bonhoeffer, T. 2002. Orientation specificity of contrast adaptation in visual cortical pinwheel centres and iso-orientation domains. European Journal of Neuroscience 15(5), pp. 876-886. (10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.01912.x)
Articles
- Craddock, R., Vasalauskaite, A., Ranson, A. and Sengpiel, F. 2023. Experience dependent plasticity of higher visual cortical areas in the mouse. Cerebral Cortex 33(15), pp. 9303-9312. (10.1093/cercor/bhad203)
- Barkus, C. et al. 2022. Refinements to rodent head fixation and fluid/food control for neuroscience. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 381, article number: 109705. (10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109705)
- Vorobyov, V., Deev, A., Oganesyan, Z., Sengpiel, F. and Ustyugov, A. A. 2022. Baseline electroencephalogram and its evolution after activation of dopaminergic system by apomorphine in middle-aged 5xfad transgenic mice, a model of alzheimer’s disease. Dynamics 2(4), pp. 356-366. (10.3390/dynamics2040020)
- Broom, E., Imbriotis, V., Sengpiel, F., Connelly, W. M. and Ranson, A. 2022. Recruitment of frontal-sensory circuits during visual discrimination. Cell Reports 39(10), article number: 110932. (10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110932)
- Aggleton, J. P., Yanakieva, S., Sengpiel, F. and Nelson, A. J. 2021. The separate and combined properties of the granular (area 29) and dysgranular (area 30) retrosplenial cortex. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 185, article number: 107516. (10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107516)
- Georgeson, M. A. and Sengpiel, F. 2021. Contrast adaptation and interocular transfer in cortical cells: a re-analysis & a two-stage gain-control model of binocular combination. Vision Research 185, pp. 29-49. (10.1016/j.visres.2021.03.004)
- Vorobyov, V., Deev, A., Sengpiel, F., Nebogatikov, V. and Ustyugov, A. A. 2021. Cortical and striatal electroencephalograms and apomorphine effects in the FUS mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 81(4), pp. 1429-1443. (10.3233/JAD-201472)
- Powell, A. et al. 2020. Stable encoding of visual cues in the mouse retrosplenial cortex. Cerebral Cortex 30(8), pp. 4424-4437. (10.1093/cercor/bhaa030)
- Sun, S., Erchova, I., Sengpiel, F. and Votruba, M. 2020. Opa1 deficiency leads to diminished mitochondrial bioenergetics with compensatory increased mitochondrial motility. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 61(6), article number: 42. (10.1167/iovs.61.6.42)
- Vorobyov, V., Medvinskaya, N., Deev, A., Sengpiel, F., Bobkova, N. and Lunin, S. 2020. Spatial memory deficits initiated by agroclavine injection or olfactory bulbectomy in rats are characterized by different levels of long-term potentiation expression in the hippocampus. International Journal of Neuroscience 130(12), pp. 1225-1229. (10.1080/00207454.2020.1732963)
- Tribble, J. R. et al. 2019. Midget retinal ganglion cell dendritic and mitochondrial degeneration is an early feature of human glaucoma. Brain Communications 1(1), article number: fcz035. (10.1093/braincomms/fcz035)
- Dillingham, C. M. et al. 2019. Mammillothalamic disconnection alters hippocampocortical oscillatory activity and microstructure: Implications for diencephalic amnesia. Journal of Neuroscience 39(34), pp. 6696-6713. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0827-19.2019)
- Vorobyov, V. et al. 2019. Loss of midbrain dopamine neurons and altered apomorphine EEG effects in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 70(1), pp. 241-256. (10.3233/JAD-181246)
- Vasalauskaite, A., Morgan, J. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2019. Plasticity in adult mouse visual cortex following optic nerve injury. Cerebral Cortex 29(4), pp. 1767-1777. (10.1093/cercor/bhy347)
- Tribble, J. R., Williams, P. A., Caterson, B., Sengpiel, F. and Morgan, J. E. 2018. Digestion of the glycosaminoglycan extracellular matrix by chondroitinase ABC supports retinal ganglion cell dendritic preservation in a rodent model of experimental glaucoma. Molecular Brain 11(1), article number: 69. (10.1186/s13041-018-0412-5)
- Sengpiel, F. 2018. Overview: neuroplasticity and synaptic function in neuropsychiatric disorders. The Journal of Physiology 596(14), pp. 2745-2746. (10.1113/JP275940)
- Milczarek, M. M., Vann, S. D. and Sengpiel, F. 2018. Spatial memory engram in the mouse retrosplenial cortex. Current Biology 28(12), pp. 1975-1980.e6. (10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.002)
- Mitchell, D. and Sengpiel, F. 2018. Animal models of amblyopia. Visual Neuroscience 35, article number: e017. (10.1017/S0952523817000244)
- Je, S., Ennis, F. A., Woodhouse, J. M., Sengpiel, F. and Redmond, T. 2018. Spatial summation across the visual field in strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia. Scientific Reports 8, article number: 3858. (10.1038/s41598-018-21620-6)
- Erchova, I., Tumlinson, A. R., Fergusson, J., White, N., Drexler, W., Sengpiel, F. and Morgan, J. 2018. Optophysiological characterisation of inner retina responses with high-resolution optical coherence tomography. Scientific Reports 8, article number: 1813. (10.1038/s41598-018-19975-x)
- Gordon, R. et al. 2017. Intrahippocampal pathways involved in learning/memory mechanisms are affected by intracerebral infusions of amyloid-beta25-35 peptide and hydrated fullerene C60 in rats. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 58(3), pp. 711-724. (10.3233/JAD-161182)
- Erchova, I., Vasalauskaite, A., Longo, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2017. Enhancement of visual cortex plasticity by dark exposure. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 372(1715), article number: 20160159. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0159)
- Keck, T. et al. 2017. Integrating Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity: the current state of the field and future research directions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B - Biological Sciences 372(1715), article number: 20160158. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0158)
- Frizzati, A., Milczarek, M. M., Sengpiel, F., Thomas, K. L., Dillingham, C. M. and Vann, S. D. 2016. Comparable reduction in Zif268 levels and cytochrome oxidase activity in the retrosplenial cortex following mammillothalamic tract lesions. Neuroscience 330, pp. 39-49. (10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.05.030)
- Bobkova, N. et al. 2016. Immunization against specific fragments of neurotrophin p75 receptor protects forebrain cholinergic neurons in the olfactory bulbectomized mice. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 53(1), pp. 289-301. (10.3233/JAD-160146)
- Vorobyov, V., Kaptsov, V., Gordon, R., Makarova, E., Podolski, I. and Sengpiel, F. 2015. Neuroprotective effects of hydrated fullerene C-60: cortical and hippocampal EEG interplay in an amyloid-infused rat model of Alzheimer's disease. American Journal of Alzheimers Disease 45(1), pp. 217-233. (10.3233/JAD-142469)
- Tribble, J. R., Cross, S. D., Samsel, P. A., Sengpiel, F. and Morgan, J. E. 2014. A novel system for the classification of diseased retinal ganglion cells. Visual Neuroscience 31(6), pp. 373-380. (10.1017/S0952523814000248)
- Sengpiel, F. 2014. Plasticity of the visual cortex and treatment of amblyopia [Review]. Current Biology 24(18), pp. R936-R940. (10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.063)
- Hughes, N. J., Hunt, J. J., Cloherty, S. L., Ibbotson, M. R., Sengpiel, F. and Goodhill, G. J. 2014. Stripe-rearing changes multiple aspects of the structure of primary visual cortex. NeuroImage 95, pp. 305-319. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.03.031)
- Ranson, A., Sengpiel, F. and Fox, K. D. 2013. The role of GluA1 in ocular dominance plasticity in the mouse visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 33(38), pp. 15220-15225. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2078-13.2013)
- Sengpiel, F. 2013. Amblyopia: Out of the dark, into the light. Current Biology 23(5), pp. R195-R196. (10.1016/j.cub.2013.01.034)
- Kind, P. C., Sengpiel, F., Beaver, C. J., Crocker-Buque, A., Kelly, G. M., Matthews, R. T. and Mitchell, D. E. 2013. The development and activity-dependent expression of aggrecan in the cat visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex 23(2), pp. 349-360. (10.1093/cercor/bhs015)
- Vorobyov, V., Kwok, J. C. F., Fawcett, J. W. and Sengpiel, F. 2013. Effects of digesting chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans on plasticity in cat primary visual cortex. The Journal of Neuroscience 33(1), pp. 234-243. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2283-12.2013)
- Jaffer, S., Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2012. Effects of different forms of monocular deprivation on primary visual cortex maps. Visual Neuroscience 29(4-5), pp. 247-253. (10.1017/S0952523812000260)
- Jaffer, S., Vorobyov, V., Kind, P. C. and Sengpiel, F. 2012. Experience-dependent regulation of functional maps and synaptic protein expression in the cat visual cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience 35(8), pp. 1281-1294. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08044.x)
- Ranson, A., Cheetham, C. E., Fox, K. D. and Sengpiel, F. 2012. Homeostatic plasticity mechanisms are required for juvenile, but not adult, ocular dominance plasticity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109(4), pp. 1311-1316. (10.1073/pnas.1112204109)
- Sengpiel, F. 2011. Experimental models of amblyopia: Insights for prevention and treatment. Strabismus 19(3), pp. 87-90. (10.3109/09273972.2011.600419)
- Vorobyov, V., Kaptsov, V., Kovalev, G. and Sengpiel, F. 2011. Effects of nootropics on the EEG in conscious rats and their modification by glutamatergic inhibitors. Brain Research Bulletin 85(3-4), pp. 123-132. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2011.02.011)
- Vorobyov, V., Schibaev, N., Kaptsov, V., Kovalev, G. and Sengpiel, F. 2011. Cortical and hippocampal EEG effects of neurotransmitter agonists in spontaneously hypertensive vs. kainate-treated rats. Brain Research 1383, pp. 154-168. (10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.107)
- Mitchell, D., Sengpiel, F., Hamilton, D., Schwarzkopf, D. S. and Kennie, J. 2011. Protection against deprivation amblyopia depends on relative not absolute daily binocular exposure. Journal of Vision 11(7), pp. 1-11. (10.1167/11.7.13)
- Hunt, J. J. et al. 2009. Natural scene statistics and the structure of orientation maps in the visual cortex. NeuroImage 47(1), pp. 157-172. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.03.052)
- Mitchell, D. E., Kennie, J., Schwarzkopf, D. S. and Sengpiel, F. 2009. Daily mixed visual experience that prevents amblyopia in cats does not always allow the development of good binocular depth perception. Journal of Vision 9(5), article number: 22. (10.1167/9.5.22)
- Howarth, C. M., Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2009. Interocular transfer of adaptation in the primary visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex 19(8), pp. 1835-1843. (10.1093/cercor/bhn211)
- Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2009. Neural mechanisms of recovery following early visual deprivation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London Series B 364(1515), pp. 383-398. (10.1098/rstb.2008.0192)
- Sengpiel, F. 2008. Binocular vision: only half a brain needed. Current Biology 18(22), pp. R1054-R1056. (10.1016/j.cub.2008.09.037)
- Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2008. Apomorphine-induced differences in cortical and striatal EEG and their glutamatergic mediation in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats. Experimental Brain Research 191(3), pp. 277-87.
- Farkas, E., Pratt, R., Sengpiel, F. and Obrenovitch, T. P. 2008. Direct, live imaging of cortical spreading depression and anoxic depolarisation using a fluorescent, voltage-sensitive dye. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 28(2), pp. 251-62. (10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600569)
- Vorobyov, V., Schwarzkopf, D. S., Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2008. Discordant binocular or mixed monocular-binocular vision reliability of cortical responses to binocular disparity stimuli dependent on the order of presentation. FENS Abstracts 4, article number: 54.45.
- Sengpiel, F., Vorobyov, V., Schwarzkopf, D. S. and Mitchell, D. E. 2008. Brief daily binocular vision prevents the behavioural and physiological effects of monocular deprivation. FENS Abstracts 4, pp. 131-132.
- Schwarzkopf, D. S., Vorobyov, V., Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2007. Brief daily binocular vision prevents monocular deprivation effects in visual cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience 25(1), pp. 270-280. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.05273.x)
- Sengpiel, F. 2007. The critical period. Current Biology 17(17), pp. R742-R743. (10.1016/j.cub.2007.06.017)
- Vorobyov, V., Schwarzkopf, D. S., Mitchell, D. E. and Sengpiel, F. 2007. Monocular deprivation reduces reliability of visual cortical responses to binocular disparity stimuli. European Journal of Neuroscience 26(12), pp. 3553-3563. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05946.x)
- Mitchell, D. E., Kind, P. C., Sengpiel, F. and Murphy, K. 2006. Short periods of concordant binocular vision prevent the development of deprivation amblyopia. European Journal of Neuroscience 23(9), pp. 2458-2466. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.04755.x)
- Sengpiel, F. 2006. Motion perception is learned, not innate. Nature Neuroscience 9(5), pp. 591-592. (10.1038/nn0506-591)
- Sengpiel, F., Eysel, U., Jirmann, K. and Vorobyov, V. 2006. Strabismic suppression is mediated by inhibitory interactions in the primary visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex 16(12), pp. 1750-1758. (10.1093/cercor/bhj110)
- Faulkner, S. D., Vorobyov, V. and Sengpiel, F. 2006. Visual cortical recovery from reverse occlusion depends on concordant binocular experience. Journal of Neurophysiology 95(3), pp. 1718-1726. (10.1152/jn.00912.2005)
- Faulkner, S. D., Sengpiel, F. and Vorobyov, V. 2005. Limited protection of the primary visual cortex from the effects of monocular deprivation by strabismus. Cerebral Cortex 15(11), pp. 1822-1833. (10.1093/cercor/bhi059)
- Sengpiel, F. and Vorobyov, V. 2005. Intracortical origins of interocular suppression in the visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, pp. 6394-6400. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0862-05.2005)
- Sengpiel, F. 2005. Visual cortex: overcoming a no-go for plasticity. Current Biology 15(24), pp. R1000-R1002. (10.1016/j.cub.2005.11.050)
- Zapeda, A., Arias, C. and Sengpiel, F. 2004. Optical imaging of intrinsic signals: recent developments in the methodology and its applications. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 136(1), pp. 1-21. (10.1016/j.jneumeth.2004.02.025)
- Zepeda, A., Sengpiel, F., Angel Guagnelli, M., Vaca, L. and Arias, C. 2004. Functional reorganization of visual cortex maps after ischemic lesions is accompanied by changes in expression of cytoskeletal proteins and NMDA and GABAA receptor subunits. Journal of Neuroscience 24(8), pp. 1812-1821. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3213-03.2004)
- Carandini, M. and Sengpiel, F. 2004. Contrast invariance of functional maps in cat primary visual cortex. Journal of Vision 4(3), article number: 1. (10.1167/4.3.1)
- Sengpiel, F. 2004. Vision: in the brain of the beholder. Current Biology 14(23), pp. R997-R999. (10.1016/j.cub.2004.11.021)
- Mitchell, D. E., Kind, P. C., Sengpiel, F. and Murphy, K. 2003. Brief daily periods of binocular vision prevent deprivation-induced acuity loss. Current Biology 13(19), pp. 1704-1708. (10.1016/j.cub.2003.09.026)
- Kind, P. C., Mitchell, D. E., Ahmed, B., Blakemore, C., Bonhoeffer, T. and Sengpiel, F. 2002. Correlated binocular activity guides recovery from monocular deprivation. Nature, pp. 430-433. (10.1038/416430a)
- Sengpiel, F. and Kind, P. C. 2002. The role of activity in development of the visual system. Current Biology 12(23), pp. R818-R826. (10.1016/S0960-9822(02)01318-0)
- Sengpiel, F. and Bonhoeffer, T. 2002. Orientation specificity of contrast adaptation in visual cortical pinwheel centres and iso-orientation domains. European Journal of Neuroscience 15(5), pp. 876-886. (10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.01912.x)
Monographs
- Sengpiel, F. 2017. Animals Models of Amblyopia, in Amblyopia: challenges and opportunities. Project Report. [Online]. Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. Available at: http://www.laskerfoundation.org/new-noteworthy/articles/amblyopia-challenges/
Research
We study the mechanisms of normal development and plasticity of the primary visual cortex (V1) and the physiological and molecular basis of common developmental disorders of vision such as amblyopia (lazy eye). Specifically, we examine the effects of various rearing regimens on the two principal response characteristics of neurons in V1, binocularity and orientation selectivity. Research over the past 20 years has identified a large number of molecules and pathways that are involved in developmental plasticity as well as in the regulation of the critical period during which the cortex is particularly susceptible to being shaped by sensory experience and indeed requires appropriate experience to develop normally. Gene defects affecting some of the associated proteins have been shown to cause neurodevelopmental disorders such as Fragile X. We study developmental plasticity in V1 in models of those disorders using functional brain imaging methods, namely optical imaging of intrinsic signals and two-photon laser scanning microscopy.
Recognising that neuronal responses in V1 frequently fail to account for behavioural responses of the animals we are investigating higher visual areas and their feedback projections to V1, and relate those to the choices mice make in visual discrimination tasks. We are also interested in the contributions of input from the cingulate cortex to layer 1 of V1 to visually guided behaviour.
Recently, visuospatial processing and spatial memory in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) has become a major focus of research in our lab. The RSC has emerged as a key brain area supporting episodic and topographical memory in humans as well as spatial memory in rodents. Using in vivo 2-photon imaging to analyse patterns of activity of neurons within dysgranular RSC of mice trained on a spatial memory task, we showed the gradual emergence of a context-specific pattern of neuronal activity over a 3-week period, which was re-instated upon retrieval more than 3 weeks later. The stability of this memory engram was predictive of the degree of forgetting; more stable engrams were associated with better performance, demonstrating the participation of the RSC in spatial memory storage at the level of neuronal ensembles.
Active Grants
BBSRC Project Grant
Integrating and storing visuo-spatial cues in the retrosplenial cortex (PI)
MRC Programme Grant
Cortical feedback circuits for sensory integration and control of synaptic plasticity (CoI)
Wellcome Trust 4-year PhD programme
Integrative Neuroscience (CoI).
Collaborators
Adam Ranson, Cardiff University, School of Medicine
John Aggleton, Cardiff University, School of Psychology
Seralynne Vann, Cardiff University, School of Psychology
Kevin Fox, Cardiff University, School of Biosciences
Mark Good, Cardiff University, School of Psychology
Marcela Votruba, Cardiff University, School of Optometry & Vision Sciences
James Morgan, Cardiff University, School of Optometry & Vision Sciences
Seth Grant, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Donald Mitchell, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
Research team members
Stephanie Bagstaff, Fangli Chen, Rosie Craddock, Bethany Frost, Haamed Al Hassan.
Teaching
I teach on the following modules:
BI3452, Systems Neuroscience
BI2431, Brain & Behaviour
BI4002, Advanced Research Methods
Biography
- Diploma in Biology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany (1989)
- DPhil in Physiology, University of Oxford (1994)
- Junior Research Fellow, Magdalen College, Oxford (1993-1996)
- Research Fellow, Max-Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Munich (1996-2000).
Professional memberships
Honorary Treasurer of the Physiological Society: http://www.physoc.org
Engagement
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I am the academic lead for public engagement of the Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute. Among other things, I have instigated the participation of Cardiff University in the annual Brain Awareness Week (BAW) and have talked on BBC Radio Wales about the brain in the run-up to this event. I have organised an annual public lecture in neuroscience since 2010. I also take part in the annual "Learn about Life" event aimed at primary school children. Finally, I have initiated participation in the annual international Brain Bee competition (aimed at senior secondary school pupils, GCSE to A level), for which the first Welsh championship was held in 2011. |
Contact Details
SengpielF@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 29208 75698
Sir Martin Evans Building, Room Life 0.08, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
+44 29208 75698
Sir Martin Evans Building, Room Life 0.08, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
