Vision Sciences Laboratory, Dr. Randy Hammond

Director: Dr. Randy Hammond

The primary goal of our research program is to conduct basic and applied studies on the visual system. A primary focus of the laboratory has been the study of the dietary carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, concentrated within the fovea (termed macular pigment or the macula lutea) and brain.  These studies have ranged across populations, infants to elderly, normal to diseased, and techniques, from pyschophysics to neuroimaging.

Researchers involved in the UGA Vision Laboratory:

B. Randy Hammond, Jr, Ph.D.- Principal Investigator

Lisa Renzi-Hammond, Ph.D.- Co-investigator

Colin Gardner- Graduate Student

Jeffrey Nightingale- Graduate Student

Selected Publications:

Hammond, B.R. and  Renzi-Hammond, L. (2016).  A critical look at the ancillary Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2: Nutrition and cognitive function results in older individuals with age-related macular degeneration.  Advances in Nutrition, 7, 433-37.

Hammond, B.R.,  Miller, L.S.,  Bello, M.O.,  Lindbergh, C.A.,  Mewborn, C.M., Renzi-Hammond. L.M. (2017). Effects of a lutein/zeaxanthin intervention on cognitive function: a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial of community dwelling older adults.  Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 9, 1-9.

Hammond, B. R., & Renzi-Hammond, L. (2018). Individual variation in the transmission of UVB radiation in the young adult eye. PloS one, 13(7), e0199940.

Stringham, J.M., Johnson, E.J. and Hammond, B.R. (2019).  Lutein across the lifespan: From childhood cognitive performance to the aging eye and brain.  Current Developments in Nutrition, 1-8.

Hammond, B.R. et al.  (2019).   The effects of blue-light intraocular lenses on the protection and function of the visual system.  Clinical Ophthalmology, 13, 2427-43.

Hammond, B. R., Buch, J., Hacker, L., Cannon, J., Toubouti, Y., & Renzi-Hammond, L. M. (2020). The effects of light scatter when using a photochromic vs. non-photochromic contact lens. Journal of Optometry, 13, 227-34.

Hammond, B. R., Buch, J., Sonoda, L., & Renzi-Hammond, L. (2021). The Effects of a Senofilcon A Contact Lens With and Without a Photochromic Additive on Positive Dysphotopsia Across Age. Eye & Contact Lens, 47(5), 265.

Hammond, B. R., & Buch, J. (2020). Individual differences in visual function. Experimental Eye Research, 108186.

Buch, J., & Hammond, B.R. (2020). Photobiomodulation of the Visual System and Human Health. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(21),1-22.

Nightingale, J. and Hammond, B.R. (2021).  Measuring the behavioral effects of intraocular scatter.  JOVE,  168 (e62290). 1-15.

Behavioral Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Dr. Phil Holmes

Research in the Behavioral Neuropharmacology Laboratory examines the neurobiological effects of exercise in rodent models. The work focuses on how exercise produces long-term regulation of neurotransmitter functions and how these changes mediate the behavioral and neurobiological effects of exercise. Some of the experiments measure exercise-induced increases in the expression of the gene encoding galanin, a peptide neurotransmitter abundantly expressed in noradrenergic neurons. Other experiments measure brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression in the hippocampus. The overall aim is to understand how these neurotransmitters/trophic factors may contribute to the beneficial effects of exercise on brain function. Previous research has examined the neurobiological basis for the antidepressant and anti-stress effects of exercise. Other projects have studied the cognition-enhancing and neuroprotective effects of exercise. The laboratory is currently working on an NIH-funded project to study the role of exercise-induced increases in galanin on cocaine self-administration in rodent models of addiction and relapse.

Techniques employed in the Holmes laboratory include in situ hybridization histochemistry to measure gene expression in the brain, stereotactic surgery, in vivo voltammetry and microdialysis, and a variety of behavioral paradigms including rodent models of stress, depression, and addiction.

Elizabeth Davis

Student Affairs Professional II

Job Responsibilities

I work with graduate students and the Graduate Coordinator in the Psychology Ph.D. program, serving as a liaison among the graduate students, program chairs, the department head, graduate coordinator, and officials of the Graduate School. I maintain records of current, past, and prospective students. I also communicate with applicants to the doctoral program and compile their credentials folders for departmental review.

Multidisciplinary Team Reveals New Data on Alzheimer's Disease

Multidisciplinary Team Reveals New Data on Alzheimer's Disease

March, 2009

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from UGA (including Clinical Program professor L. Steven Miller), the Augusta VA Hospital, and the Medical College of Georgia have "revealed a direct relationship between two specific antibodies and the severity of Alzheimer's disease symptoms, raising hopes that a diagnostic blood test for the devastating disorder is within reach." Read about their work in the UGA Columns Newsletter.

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