This selection of articles from the Encyclopedia of the Eye covering retina, optics/optic nerve and comparative topics constitutes the first reference for scientists, post docs, and graduate students with an interest beyond standard textbook materials. It covers the full spectrum of research on the retina - from the basic biochemistry of how nerve cells are created to information on neurotransmitters, comparisons of the structure and neuroscience of peripheral vision systems in different species, and all the way through to injury repair and other clinical applications.
- The first single volume to integrate comparative studies into a comprehensive resource on the neuroscience of the retina
- Chapters are carefully selected from the Encyclopedia of the Eye by one of the world's leading vision researchers
- The best researchers in the field provide their conclusions in the context of the latest experimental results
Dr. Besharse is currently The Marvin Wagner Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He received his BA degree from Hendrix College (Conway, Arkansas) and MA and PhD degrees from Southern Illinois University. After a brief period on the faculty at Old Dominion University in Virginia, he moved to Columbia University as a post-doctoral fellow in retinal research. He was appointed to the faculty of Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Emory University School of Medicine in 1977, becoming full professor in 1984. He assumed the position of Professor and Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University Kansas School of Medicine (Kansas City) in 1989 and moved on to his present position at Medical College of Wisconsin in 1997. Dr. Besharse’s research has focused on membrane turnover, circadian clocks, and microtubule-based transport in photoreceptors with special attention to fundamental pathways that are disrupted in photoreceptor degenerative diseases. His research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1978. In addition to his roles as Department Chair and a principal investigator, he directs an NIH funded training program in Vision Science. Dr. Besharse is a past member of the editorial boards of Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science and Vision Neuroscience and served as the Retina Section Editor of Experimental Eye Research. He has served as a Trustee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and has served two full terms as a member of two different NIH study sections. Among his awards are the Alcon Research Award for outstanding research in Vision Science (1993), the Alumni Achievement Award from Southern Illinois University (1998) and the Distinguished Service Award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2005). He is a Gold Fellow of ARVO.
