Not eligible to supervise.
Dr. Wu’s research interests are in the area of sensory neuroscience, specifically the neural basis of auditory perception and how auditory information is processed by auditory neurons. Her current research includes the neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neuropharmacology of the central auditory system. The research is focused on the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). This is an important structure in the auditory pathway for integrating and processing auditory information as well as information from other sensory and even motor systems. The IC is also involved in some neurological and hearing disorders, such as audiogenic seizures and tinnitus.
Using intracellular and whole-cell patch clamp recording techniques Dr. Wu is investigating the physiological and pharmacological properties of ionic and synaptic receptor channels that underlie the synaptic transmission in the IC. She combines neuroanatomical labeling and electrophysiological recording to identify cell types in the IC. With pharmacological manipulations she investigates molecular structures of different ion channels and synaptic receptors, i.e., their subunit composition. The research is trying to answer the questions about how these receptor channels contribute to neuronal communication between the lower auditory brainstem and the IC, as well as to local neuronal interaction within the IC. These studies are not only for a better understanding of the behavior of individual neurons in response to stimulation of afferent inputs, but also for gaining an insight into neuronal mechanisms of auditory information processing.
Sun, H.Y. and Wu, S.H. (2009) The physiological role of pre- and postsynaptic GABAB receptors in membrane excitability and synaptic transmission of neurons in the rat’s dorsal cortex of the inferior colliculus.Neuroscience.160: 198-211.
Sun, H.Y. and Wu, S.H. (2008) Physiological characteristics of postinhibitory rebound depolarization in neurons of the rat’s dorsal cortex of the inferior colliculus studied in vitro. Brain Research. 1226: 70-81.
Sun, H.Y. and Wu, S.H. (2008) Modification of membrane excitability of neurons in the rat’s dorsal cortex of the inferior colliculus by preceding hyperpolarization. Neuroscience, 154: 257-272.
Ahuja, T.K., Wu, S.H. (2007) Intrinsic membrane properties and synaptic responses characteristics of neurons in the rat’s external cortex of the inferior colliculus. Neuroscience, 145: 851-865.
Sun, H.Y, Ma, C. L., Kelly, J.B., Wu, S. H. (2006) GABAB receptor-mediated presynaptic inhibition of glutamatergic transmission in the inferior colliculus. Neuroscience Letters, 399: 151-156.
Irfan, N., Zhang, H. and Wu, S.H. (2005) Synaptic transmission mediated by ionotropic glutamate, glycine and GABA receptors in the rat’s ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. Hearing Research, 203: 159-171.
Wu, S.H., Ma, C.L. and Kelly, J.B. (2004) Contribution of AMPA, NMDA, and GABAA receptors to temporal pattern of postsynaptic responses in the inferior colliculus of the rat. Journal of Neuroscience, 24: 4625-4634.
Zhang, H., Wu, S.H. and Kelly, J.B. (2004) Regulation of auditory responses in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus by tetrathyammonium-sensitive potassium channels. Journal of Neurophysiology, 91: 2194-2204.
Wu, S.H., Ma, C.L., Sivarmakrishnan, S. and Oliver, D.J. (2002) Synaptic modification in neurons of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus. Hearing Research, 168: 43-54.
Ma, C.L., Kelly, J.B. and Wu, S.H. (2002) Presynaptic modulation of GABAergic inhibition by GABAB receptors. Neuroscience, 114: 207-215.
Ma, C.L., Kelly, J.B. and Wu, S.H. (2002) AMPA and NMDA receptors mediate synaptic excitation in the rat’s inferior colliculus. Hearing Research, 168: 25-34.