Michael E. Hasselmo

Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences, BU College of Arts & Sciences

Director, Center for Systems Neuroscience

Associate Director, Center for Memory & Brain

Research Interests

Research in the Hasselmo Laboratory concerns the cortical dynamics of memory-guided behavior, including effects of neuromodulation and theta rhythm oscillations in cortical function. Neurophysiological techniques are used to analyze intrinsic and synaptic properties of cortical circuits in rodents and to explore the effects of modulators on these properties. Computational modeling is used to link these physiological data to memory-guided behavior.

Experiments using multiple single-unit recording in behavioral tasks are designed to test predictions of the computational models.

Areas of research focus include episodic memory function and theta rhythm dynamics in the entorhinal cortex, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampal formation. This research has implications for understanding the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and depression.