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Prof Neil Burgess Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Space and Memory Group Leader n.burgess@ucl.ac.uk

Reserarch Summary

I am based at theÌýUCL Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceÌýand affiliated to theÌýUCL Institute of Neurology, Department of Epilepsy,Ìý³Ù³ó±ð and the . I am supported by aÌýand . Ìý

I'm interested in the neural mechanisms supporting memory, with particular interest in the role of the hippocampus in spatial and episodic memory, but also an interest in the role of other brain regions and forms of memory such as phonological working memory. My approach is to develop models relating the actions of individual neurons toÌýbehaviourÌýso as to integrate results from single unit recording, neuropsychological and functional neuroimaging andÌýbehaviouralÌýexperiments. I hope to both predict and perform useful experiments and to generate novel theoretical and computational well-specified understanding of the mechanisms involved.

My research has followed 4 main directions:

• DevelopingÌýquantitative simulations of the computation role of hippocampal neurons in rat navigation (reviewed here), and of where and how grid cells (like this model) and place cells will fire in new environments. I am currently interested to extend these well-grounded models to capture the characteristics of human spatial and episodic memory, attempting to integrate the experimental results below.ÌýÌý
• Identifying theÌýenvironmental inputs determining the receptive fields of hippocampal place cells, examining how these responses change with experience, and showing how the temporal and rate code of place cell firing is independent. Ìý
• The third strand of my research concerns the neural basis of navigation and episodic memory in humans, using virtual reality environments based on modifications of PC video games. These have been used inÌýbehavioural, functional neuroimagingÌýand Neuropsychological studies,ÌýfocussingÌýon the hippocampus and related structures. ÌýÌý
• I am also interested in modelling working memory for serial orderÌýand its relationship to long term memory, including the relationship between imagery and memory and the role of parietal, medial temporal and frontal areas in these processes.ÌýofÌýthe hippocampus. Ìý

For further information, please seeÌýpublications.

Teaching Summary

I am courseÌýorganiser (with Caswell Barry) of "Neural computation: models of brain function" for 3rd year BSc Neuroscience and intercalating medicalÌýstudents, and MSc students in Cognitive and Decision Science and in Brain and Mind Sciences).ÌýI also lecture on various other BSc and MSc courses in UCL, and supervise BSc and MSc research projects, in addition to PhD supervision within my own group.