Education
- PhD, 1991, California Institute of Technology
- BS, 1983, Electrical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Research Summary
Our laboratory studies the neural processes within the hippocampus and neocortex that enable memories to form and persist over time. We use a technique that allows us to simultaneously record the activity of hundreds of individual neurons across multiple brain regions in freely behaving animals. When combined with genetic, pharmacological and behavioral manipulations, these recordings allow us to gain a mechanistic understanding of how animals learn and remember.Awards
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 2012
Recent Publications
- Lateral Septum as a Nexus for Mood, Motivation, and Movement. Wirtshafter, HS, Wilson, MA. 2021. Neurosci Biobehav Rev , .
doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.029PMID:33848512 - Dissociating Behavior and Spatial Working Memory Demands Using an H Maze. Wirtshafter, HS, Quan, M, Wilson, MA. 2021. Bio Protoc 11, e3947.
doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3947PMID:33796621 - mPFC spindle cycles organize sparse thalamic activation and recently active CA1 cells during non-REM sleep. Varela, C, Wilson, MA. 2020. Elife 9, .
doi: 10.7554/eLife.48881PMID:32525480 - Differences in reward biased spatial representations in the lateral septum and hippocampus. Wirtshafter, HS, Wilson, MA. 2020. Elife 9, .
doi: 10.7554/eLife.55252PMID:32452763 - Locomotor and Hippocampal Processing Converge in the Lateral Septum. Wirtshafter, HS, Wilson, MA. 2019. Curr Biol 29, 3177-3192.e3.
doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.089PMID:31543450 - Characteristics of CA1 place fields in a complex maze with multiple choice points. Tanila, H, Ku, S, Kloosterman, F, Wilson, MA. 2018. Hippocampus 28, 81-96.
doi: 10.1002/hipo.22810PMID:29072798 - Oscillations, neural computations and learning during wake and sleep. Penagos, H, Varela, C, Wilson, MA. 2017. Curr Opin Neurobiol 44, 193-201.
doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.05.009PMID:28570953 - Deciphering Neural Codes of Memory during Sleep. Chen, Z, Wilson, MA. 2017. Trends Neurosci 40, 260-275.
doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.03.005PMID:28390699 - Uncovering representations of sleep-associated hippocampal ensemble spike activity. Chen, Z, Grosmark, AD, Penagos, H, Wilson, MA. 2016. Sci Rep 6, 32193.
doi: 10.1038/srep32193PMID:27573200 - Slow-γ Rhythms Coordinate Cingulate Cortical Responses to Hippocampal Sharp-Wave Ripples during Wakefulness. Remondes, M, Wilson, MA. 2015. Cell Rep 13, 1327-1335.
doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.10.005PMID:26549454