Dr. David Reser: NHMRC Research Officer

david.reser@med.monash.edu.au

phone: +61 03 9905 1210

Background and Research Interests

I completed my Ph.D. in the Behavioural and Systems Neuroscience Group at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, USA, and subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience at Georgetown University.  In both laboratories, I was involved in studies of the functional organisation of auditory areas in the cerebral cortex, and their role in processing complex sounds such as speech and music. 

In 2000, I joined the Safety Pharmacology Unit at Allergan, Inc. in Irvine, California, where I worked on the development of electrophysiological models of botulinum toxin activity in the neuromuscular system. Botulinum toxins are potent inhibitors of neurotransmission, and have a wide variety of both therapeutic  and research applications.  The activity of these proteins in the central nervous system, especially in the sensory processing areas of the brain,  is one focus of my current research.

I am currently a member of the research group led by Prof. Marcello Rosa, where I am involved with investigations of the anatomy and physiology of auditory-visual interactions in the brain.  Of particular interest is the role of the limbic system, which processes emotions, in the perception of temporally and spectrally complex sounds.

Most recently, I have begun a series of experiments looking at the neurophysiology of colour vision in the brain of the honeybee.  This is part of a collaboration with Dr. Adrian Dyer, in which we hope to understand how the relatively simple (at least compared to vertebrates) bee brain is capable of producing a remarkable range of complex behaviours, including higher-order decision making and experience-dependent changes in cognitive strategy.

Publications and Patents

Dyer AG, Rosa MGP, Reser, DH. Recognition of natural scenery through spatial vision cues in honeybees. Journal of Experimental Biology (in press).

Williams SK, Reser DH, Dyer AG. A biologically inspired mechano-optical imaging system based in insect vision. Journal of Biocommunication 34(1):E3-E7 (2008)

Tian B, Reser D, Durham A, Kustov A, Rauschecker JP. Functional specialization in rhesus monkey auditory cortex. Science 292(5515):290-3 (2001).

Fishman YI, Reser DH, Arezzo JC, Steinschneider M. Neural correlates of auditory stream segregation in primary auditory cortex of the awake monkey. Hearing Research 151(1-2):167-187 (2001).

Fishman YI, Reser DH, Arezzo JC, Steinschneider M. Complex tone processing in primary auditory cortex of the awake monkey. II. Pitch versus critical band representation. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 108(1):247-62 (2000).

Fishman YI, Reser DH, Arezzo JC, Steinschneider M. Complex tone processing in primary auditory cortex of the awake monkey. I. Neural ensemble correlates of roughness. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 108(1):235-46 (2000).

Reser DH, Fishman YI, Arezzo JC, Steinschneider M. Binaural interactions in primary auditory cortex of the awake macaque. Cerebral Cortex 10(6):574-84 (2000).

Reser D, Rho M, Dewan D, Herbst L, Li G, Stupak H, Zur K, Romaine J, Frenz D, Goldbloom L, Kopke R, Arezzo J, Van De Water T. L- and D- methionine provide equivalent long term protection against CDDP-induced ototoxicity in vivo, with partial in vitro and in vivo retention of antineoplastic activity. NeuroToxicology 20(5):731-48 (1999).

Fishman YI, Reser DH, Arezzo JC, Steinschneider M. Pitch vs. spectral encoding of harmonic complex tones in primary auditory cortex of the awake monkey. Brain Research 786(1-2):18-30 (1998).

Reser DH, Van de Water TR. Implications of neurotrophin supported auditory neuron survival for maintenance of the tonotopic organization of the central auditory pathway. Acta Otolaryngologica Stockholm 117(2):239-43 (1997).

Steinschneider M, Reser D, Schroeder CE, Arezzo JC. Tonotopic organization of responses reflecting stop consonant place of articulation in primary auditory cortex (A1) of the monkey. Brain Research 674(1):147-52 (1995).

2005: United States Patent (pending) PCT Patent Application 2005/026290 (WO/2006/086001), Joseph Francis, David Reser and Lance Steward. Thermographic assessment of clostridial toxin applications.