Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Gene Expression in Developing Cortex Linked to Autism and Schizophrenia

A collaborative study between Prof Zoltán Molnár’s DPAG lab, King's College London and Imperial College London has provided the first comprehensive evidence of an association between gene expression of the early generated, largely transient cells in the embryonic cerebral cortex (known as the subplate) and developing cognitive disorders in later life.

New Genetic Disorder Discovered by NDCN Team

The family of disorders known as ataxias can impair speech, balance and coordination, and have varying levels of severity. A team led by Dr Andrea Nemeth from NDCN has identified a new member of this group of conditions which is connected to Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 5 (SCA5). SCA5 is sometimes known as ‘Lincoln ataxia,’ because it was first found in the relatives of US President Abraham Lincoln.

Opening of New Research Centres Within the Oxford Cognitive Health Umbrella

Two new research centres have recently opened in Experimental Psychology a part of the new NIHR Clinical Research Facility in Oxford Cognitive Health.

Professor Paul Bolam Becomes Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society

The award of Fellowship of the British Pharmacological Society to Prof Paul Bolam of the MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit has been approved.

€2.2m European Research Council Award for Professor Glyn Humphreys

Prof Glyn Humphreys, Department of Experimental Psychology, has been awarded a European Research Council Advanced Investigator Award of around €2.2m to support research into our understanding of perception and the degree to which it is influenced by personal social biases.

Paper in Nature Neuroscience: New Evidence for the Role of Hippocampal NMDA Receptors

The role of hippocampal NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and NMDAR-dependant synaptic plasticity in long-term spatial memory remains unclear. Current thinking implicates hippocampal NMDARs as important in storing long-term spatial memory. However, a recent study from Bannerman et al., in Experimental Psychology, working with researchers from the Max Planck Institute and the University of Oslo, shows that hippocampal NMDARs are actually involved in the use of spatial knowledge in selecting between alternative responses. In the study, published in Nature Neuroscience, Bannerman et al. used Grin1∆DGCA1 transgenic mice, which lack NMDARs in dentate gyrus granule cells and dorsal hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells, in a series of spatial choice experiments

UK Biobank Imaging Extension Approved

UK Biobank is an on-going prospective epidemiological study that has already collected genetics, blood, lifestyle information and other data from a cohort of 500,000 subjects, to be followed over coming decades. The "UK Biobank Imaging Extension", which aims to bring back 100,000 of the cohort for multimodal neuroimaging and cardiac MRI (amongst other measures), has just been given the go-ahead. This will be by far the largest neuro/cardiac imaging study carried out to date, and will add very rich phenotyping to the project

Paper in Neuron: Characterization of GABAergic Interneurons in the Amygdala

Previous studies have shown that cooperation of neuronal activity in the amygdala and hippocampus is crucial for emotional memory formation. Synchronization of theta frequency oscillations in the amygdala and hippocampus plays a key role in this coordination. Research suggests that GABAergic neurons are central in controlling theta frequency oscillations.

Autumn School in Cognitive Neuroscience

The annual Autumn School in Cognitive Neuroscience was held on 24th and 25th September at the University Department of Experimental Psychology. The event showcased research from the McDonnell Network for Cognitive Neuroscience, both at the University of Oxford and elsewhere, with a series of lectures. The Autumn School is supported by the James S. McDonnell Foundation and Guarantors of Brain and was organised by Prof Andrew Parker.