Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences 423 Dodge Hall of Engineering (248) 370-2399 zhang@oakland.edu

Biography
Dr. Dao-Qi Zhang received his Ph.D. in neurobiology from the Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1997. He completed his post-doctoral training within the Department of Physiology at University of Kentucky. Before he joined the Eye Research Institute in 2010, he served as Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Zhang received a fellowship from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and Alcon Laboratories Research Fellowship, as well as research funding from the National Eye Institute.

Research
Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on understanding the regulation of dopamine release in the vertebrate retina, a simple and accessible model of the CNS. Retinal dopamine acts as a neurotransmitter and plays vital roles in modulating retinal circuits, synchronizing the retinal clock, and influencing eye growth. As a result, dopamine deficiency in neurodegenerative diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and Parkinson’s disease leads to a number of visual defects effecting the spatial and temporal vision, as well as absolute visual sensitivity. However, the mechanisms responsible for regulating dopamine release are not well understood. The broad objective of Dr. Zhang’s laboratory is to determine how retinal dopaminergic neuron activity is regulated by environmental light and biological circadian clock, and how it is altered by retinal degeneration. With further understanding of these mechanisms, we will be able to better comprehend the underlying problems of these diseases and develop effective treatment for them. Dr. Zhang’s laboratory utilizes a multidisciplinary approach that includes molecular, pharmacological, biochemical, optical imaging, and electrophysiological techniques.

Zhang, D.Q., Wong, K.Y., Sollars, P.J., Berson, D.M., Pickard, G.P. and McMahon, D.G. (2008) Intra-retinal signaling by ganglion cell photoreceptors to dopaminergic amacrine neurons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA,105:14181-14186.

Zhang, D.Q., Zhou, T.R. and McMahon, D.G. (2007) Functional heterogeneity of retinal dopaminergic neurons underlying their multiple roles in vision. Journal of Neuroscience, 27:692-699.

Ruan, G.X., Zhang D.Q., Zhou, T.R., Yamazaki, S. and McMahon, D.G. (2006) Circadian organization of the mammalian retina. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 103:9703-9708.

Witkovsky, P., Veisenberger, E., LeSauter, J., Yan L., Johnson, M., Zhang, D.Q., McMahon D.G. and Silver, R. (2003) Cellular location and circadian rhythm of expression of the biological clock gene Period 1 in the mouse retina. Journal of Neuroscience, 23:7670-7676.

Zhang, D.Q., Ribelayga, C, Mangel, S.C. and McMahon, D.G. (2002) Suppression by zinc of AMPA receptors mediated synaptic transmission in the retina. Journal of Neurophysiology, 88:1245-1251.

Zhang, D.Q. and McMahon, D.G. (2000) Direct gating by retinoic acid of retinal electrical synapses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 97:14754-14759.