Prof. Matthew Nolan Personal Chair of Neural Circuits and Computation mattnolan@ed.ac.uk Current research interests Circuit organisation. We are investigating the local and long-range organisation of circuits in the entorhinal cortex. We want to understand how molecular level organisation within the entorhinal cortex leads to architectural principles that are critical for memory storage and retrieval. Circuit computations. We are using high density neural recordings and neural network models to investigate how entorhinal cortex circuits implement computations important for spatial memory. Technology development. With collaborators in the Institute for Integrated and Nanosystems we are developing kilohertz frame rate cameras for imaging neural activity, and with collaborators in the School of Informatics and the Centre for Statistics we are developing new tools for analysing the organisation and activation of neural circuits. Circuit disorders. Many disorders of the brain appear to result from circuit level deficits. We believe that understanding the fundamental principles for neural circuit computation will be essential for understanding and treating disorders. We are addressing this by focusing on models of autism spectrum disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. Research in a nutshell The brain's extraordinary cognitive capabilities result from computations carried out by groups of neurons organised into circuits. Understanding how neural circuits implement computations is a major unsolved scientific problem. We address this using state-of-the-art optical, electrical and molecular technologies, with a particular focus on the neural computations that underlie learning and memory. Our research has implications for understanding normal cognitive function and for cognitive disorders including Alzheimer's and autism spectrum disorders. Full research profile, including publications https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/f8beecae-88ff-46c8-a196-2502a4aafad3