Jay Neitz received his PhD in Biopsychology from the University of California in Santa Barbara in 1986. His graduate work was conducted in the laboratory of Gerald Jacobs, PhD, and it focused on understanding how the human visual system works using color vision as a model.
Jay Neitz received his PhD in Biopsychology from the University of California in Santa Barbara in 1986. His graduate work was conducted in the laboratory of Gerald Jacobs, PhD, and it focused on understanding how the human visual system works using color vision as a model. After graduating in 1986, he continued post-doctoral training in the Jacobs lab and began collaborating with his wife, Maureen Neitz, PhD who was also in the Jacobs lab. In 1991, Jay Neitz took his first faculty position at the Medical College of Wisconsin. After nearly 18 years in Wisconsin, Maureen and Jay Neitz moved their labs to the University of Washington in January of 2009. He is currently the Bishop Professor in Ophthalmology.
Overview
Undergraduate Education: BA, Psychology/Physics, San Jose State University, San Jose CA,1979
Graduate Education: PhD, Biopsychology, University of California, Santa Barbara CA,1986
Post-Doctoral Education: Post-doc, University of California, Santa Barbara CA, 1986
Previous Faculty Positions:
1986-1991 Research Assistant Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
1991-2008 Professor with Tenure, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Academic Interests
Dr. Neitz studies the biological basis of vision and vision disorders, including color vision. His goal is to make discoveries that will lead to a better understanding of how the visual system and brain work. He hopes his work will contribute to treatments for vision disorders, including macular degeneration, nearsightedness and colorblindness.
Awards & Honors
1999 Medical College of Wisconsin, Beckman Award for Excellence in Teaching
2000 Medical College of Wisconsin, Graduate School, Mentor of the Year Award
2003 Medical College of Wisconsin Society of Teaching Scholars
2003 Alcon Research Institute Award for Research Excellence
2007 Research to Prevent Blindness, Senior Scientific Investigator Award
2006-present RD & Linda Peters Professor in Ophthalmology
2009-present Bishop Professorship, University of Washington
2008 Australian Broadcast Company documentary titled "Cracking the Colour Code" featured the work from the last funding period of this grant
2009 Time Magazine’s #3 top scientific discovery of the year
Publications
Neitz, J. and Jacobs, G. H. Polymorphism of the long-wavelength cone in normal human color vision. Nature 323, 623-625, 1986.
Neitz, J., Neitz, M., and Jacobs, G.H. Analysis of fusion gene and encoded photopigment of colour blind humans. Nature 342, 679-682, 1989.
Neitz, M., Neitz, J., and Jacobs G.H. Spectral tuning of pigments underlying red-green color vision. Science 252, 972-974, 1991.
Neitz, M., and Neitz, J. Numbers and ratios of visual pigment genes for normal red-green color vision. Science 267, 1013-1016, 1995.
DeYoe, E. A., C. Carman, et al.. "Mapping striate and extrastriate visual areas in human cerebral cortex." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 13: 2382-2386, 1996.
Jacobs, G.H., Neitz, M., Deegan, J., and Neitz, J. Trichromatic colour vision in New World monkeys. Nature 382:156-158, 1996.
Neitz, J., Neitz, M., He, J.C., and Shevell, S.K. Two distinct physiological causes of an X-linked color vision defect. Nature Neuroscience 2:884-888, 1999.
Neitz, J., Carroll, J., Yamauchi, Y., Neitz, M., Williams, D.R. Color perception is mediated by a plastic neural mechanisms that is adjustable in adults. Neuron 35:783-792, 2002
Carroll, J., Neitz, M., Hofer, H., Neitz, J., Williams, D.R. (2004) Functional photoreceptor loss revealed with adaptive optics: An alternative cause for color blindness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101:8461-8466, 2004.
Neitz, M., Carroll, J., Renner, A., Knau, H., Werner, J.S. & Neitz, J. (2004) Variety of Genotypes in
Males Diagnosed as Dichromatic on a Conventional Clinical Anomaloscope. Visual Neuroscience 21:205-216, 2004
Hofer, H., Carroll, J., Neitz, J., Neitz, M., Williams, D.R. Organization of the human cone mosaic. J. Neuroscience 25:9669-79, 2005.
Neitz, M., Balding, S.D., McMahon, C., Sjoberg, S.A. & Neitz, J. Topography of long- and middle- wavelength sensitive cone opsin gene expression in human and Old World monkey retina. Visual Neuroscience 23:370-385, 2006.
Kuchenbecker, J., Sahay, M., Tait, D.M., Neitz, M., Neitz, J. Topography of the long- to middle-wavelength sensitive cone ratio in the human retina assessed with a whole field color multifocal ERG.Visual Neuroscience 25:301-306 PMCID: PMC3044242, 2008.
Pawela, C. P., A. G. Hudetz, et al. "Modeling of region-specific fMRI BOLD neurovascular response functions in rat brain reveals residual differences that correlate with the differences in regional evoked potentials. NeuroImage 41:525-534. PMCID: PMC2483240, 2008.
Mancuso, K., Hauswirth, W.W., Li, Q., Connor, T.B., Kuchenbecker, J.A., Mauck, M.C., J. Neitz, & M. Neitz. Gene therapy for red-green colour blindness in adult primates. Nature 461: 784-787. PMCID: PMC2782927, 2009.
"Monkey See" article in the Health Section featured the curing color blindness in squirrel monkey, National Geographic, March 2010.
University of Washington
Vision Science
Neitz Lab
Location:
South Lake Union
Mailing Address:
University of Washington
Neitz Lab, E291
Box 358058
Seattle, WA 98109-8058
Phone: 206-616-0043
Fax: 206-685-9315
Website: www.neitzvision.com
Specialties
Vision Research Scientist
