Matthew A. Wilson

Dr, Matthew A. Wilson is the Sherman Fairchild Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With a background in Electrical Engineering, Dr. Wilson pioneered the application of large-scale multiple electrode microarray implants for monitoring ensemble activity in the freely behaving rodent during awake and sleep states. Using these approaches he was the first to demonstrate the coordinated reactivation of memory patterns during sleep in the hippocampus and has continued to pursue the role of sleep in memory processing, and the study of sleep-regulation of brain systems. His studies have led to the development of analytical methods for characterization of both the content and the temporal linkage of high-dimensional neuronal ensemble patterns, as well as the structure and coordination of EEG activity across brain regions. The Wilson lab is currently focused on understanding the reactivation of sequential activity in neural ensembles during waking and sleep. Because many cells in the hippocampus represent specific locations, Wilson can use their firing patterns to reconstruct movement trajectories that are being "replayed" during periods of rest. The function of such replay is not well understood, but it may play a role in memory consolidation, or even in action planning. The Wilson lab also is currently studying the interplay between the hippocampus and other brain regions, such as prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, thalamus, and the ventral tegmental area. Understanding how activity is coordinated between multiple areas is likely to be crucial for understanding how memories are stored and retrieved. Wilson is the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, a John Merck Fellowship, the Young Investigator Award of the Office of Naval Research, and the Middleton Neurosciences Award. He has been elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in addition to his American Academy of Arts and Sciences membership. His articles have appeared in publications such as Science, Nature, and Cell.