Rhythmic neuronal activity reflects the coordination and interactions of networks of neurons during complex cognitive processes and behaviour. Accordingly, many psychiatric disorders are associated with impaired neural synchrony.

We use specialized ´tetrode´ electrodes to record simultaneously from large groups of neurons, measuring synchrony of network activities in anatomically and functionally related circuits, both during normal behaviour and in models of diseases like schizophrenia, Down syndrome and Alzheimer´s Disease.

Please see also: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/phys-pharm/people/matt-w-jones/overview.html

5 Selected Publications

Jones MW. (2013) Differential spike timing and phase dynamics of reticular thalamic and prefrontal cortical neuronal populations during sleep spindles. J Neurosci.

McHugh T., Jones M., Quinn J., Balthasar N., Coppari R., Elmquist J., Lowell B., Fanselow M., Wilson M., and Tonegawa S. (2007) Dentate Gyrus NMDA Receptors Mediate Rapid Pattern Separation in the Hippocampal Network. Science, 317 (5834): 94-9.

Jones M., and Wilson M. (2005) Theta rhythms coordinate hippocampal-prefrontal interactions in a spatial memory task. PLoS Biol., 3 (12): e402.

Jones M., Peckham H., Errington M., Bliss T., and Routtenberg A. (2001) Synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of awake C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice: interstrain differences and parallels with behavior. Hippocampus, 11 (4): 391-6.

Jones M., Errington M., French P., Fine A., Bliss T., Garel S., Charnay P., Bozon B., Laroche S., and Davis S. (2001) A requirement for the immediate early gene Zif268 in the expression of late LTP and long-term memories. Nat Neurosci., 4 (3). 289-96.

Awards, Fellowships and Honours

2013            Member of the Wellcome Trust Expert Review Group for Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (until today)
2013            Wellcome Trust Strategic Award (until 2018) DEFINE - Defining Endophenotypes from Integrated Neurosciences (led by M. owen)
2012            Member of MRC Industrial Collaborative Training and Careers (ICTC) Assessment Panel (until today)
2011            MRC Senior Non-clinical Fellowship (until 2016)
2011            MRC Research Grant (until 2014)
2011            Johnson & Johnson Research and Development collaborative Grant (until 2013)
2010            CHDI Foundation Programme Grant (until 2014) (led by J. Morton, Univ. of Cambridge)
2008            Eli Lilly & Co. Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience collaborative Grant (until 2011)
2000            Wellcome Trust International Prize Travelling Fellowship (until 2002)
1993            Scholar of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge 1993. Awarded for 1st Class B.A. degree in Natural Sciences

• In vivo electrophysiology (tetrodes/LFP/EEG)
• Cognitive behavioural testing