My lab is investigating one of the most interesting questions in neuroscience - "How does the brain learn and retain information for use throughout the lifetime?" We study what occurs during learning when the brain is working normally, but we are also interested in what happens when a brain is compromised or damaged. Some of the research we are doing is aimed at investigating developmental disorders and neurological disorders that affect young and old brains, such as those that result from stroke. My lab utilizes a number of techniques to investigate plasticity throughout the mammalian lifetime. These techniques come from the areas of behavioural neuroscience, molecular biology and neuroscience, electrophysiology, and quantitative and qualitative anatomy. I also expect to implement optical imaging techniques in the future.
Larson, S.J., Hartle, K., Ivanco, T.L., (in Press). Acute administration of interleukin-1 disrupts motor learning. Behavioral Neuroscience.
Wallace, M., Hartle, K.D., Snow, W., Ward, N.L., Ivanco, T.L., (2007). Hypoxia alters the Morphology of Striatal Neurons in CD1 Mice. Neuroscience, 147: 90-6.
Ward, N.L., Moore, E., Noon, K., Spassil, N., Ivanco, T.L., LaManna, J. (2007). Differential expression of cerebral angiogenic factors and angiogenic remodeling and physiological response to long term chronic hypoxia in four commonly used mouse strains. Journal of Applied Physiology,102:1927-35.
Derksen, M., Ward, N.L., Hartle, K., and Ivanco, T.L. (2007). MAP2 and synaptophysin protein expression following motor learning suggests dynamic regulation and distinct alterations coinciding with synaptogenesis. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 87: 404-415.
Ward, NL, Putoscki, T., Mearow, K, Ivanco, TL, Dumont, D. (2004 eprint, 2005). The vascular specific growth factor Angiopoietin 1 is involved in the organization of neuronal processes. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 482: 244-256. *note: all the work for this paper was done in the lab of TLI, mice were created in the lab of DD.
Wawryko, P., Ward, N.L., Whishaw, I.Q., Ivanco, T.L. (2004). Outbred Pigmented Long- Evans Rats Show Similar Long Term Potentiation (LTP) to Inbred Albino Fischer-344 rats but Reduced Short Term Potentation (STP) in Motor Cortex. Brain Research, 1029:1-10.
Weeks, A.C.W., Ivanco, T.L., LeBoutillier, J.C., Marrone, D.F., Racine, R.J., and Petit, T.L. (2003). Unique changes in synaptic morphology following tetanization under pharmacological blockade. Synapse, 47: 77-86.
Ivanco, TL and Greenough, WT. (2002) Altered mossy fiber distributions in adult Fmr1 (FVB) knockout mice. Hippocampus, 12(1):47-54.
Weeks, ACW, Ivanco, TL, LeBoutillier, JC, Racine, RJ, Petit, TL (2001).Sequential changes in the synaptic structural profile following long-term potentiation in the rat dentate gyrus: III: Long-term maintenance phase. Synapse, 40:74-84.
Guo, H, Hong, S, Jin, X-L, Chen, R-S, Avasthi, PP, Tu, Y-T, Ivanco, TL, Li, Y (2000). Specificity and efficiency of Cre-mediated recombination of Emx1-cre knock-in mice. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communication, 273:661-665.
Weeks, ACW, Ivanco, TL, LeBoutillier, JC, Racine, RJ, Petit, TL (2000). Sequential changes in the synaptic structural profile following long-term potentiation in the rat dentate gyrus: II: Induction/early maintenance phase. Synapse, 36: 286-296.
Ivanco, TL and Greenough, WT (2000). Physiological consequences of morphologically detectable plasticity: Potential uses for examining recovery following damage. Neuropharmacology, 39:765-776.
Ivanco, TL, Racine, RJ, and Kolb, B (2000). The morphology of layer III pyramidal neurons is altered following induction of LTP in the sensorimotor cortex of the freely moving rat. Synapse, 37:16-22.
Ivanco, TL and Racine, RJ (2000). Long-term potentiation in the pathways between the hippocampus and neocortex in the chronically implanted rat. Cerebral Cortex, 10: 143-152.
Weeks, ACW, Ivanco, TL, Le Boutillier, JC, Racine, RJ, and Petit, TL (1998). The degree of potentiation is associated with synaptic number during the maintenance of long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus. Brain Research, 798: 211-216.
Ivanco, TL, Pellis, SM, and Whishaw, IQ (1996). Skilled forelimb movements in prey catching and in reaching by rats (Rattus norvegicus) and opossums (Monodelphis domestica): Relations to anatomical differences in motor systems. Behavioural Brain Research, 79: 163-181.