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Faculty and Research

Faculty Member

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Donald A. Wilson

Donald A. Wilson

 Professor, Zoology Richards Hall 410 (on leave of absence) 845-398-2178 Ph.D., Physiological Psychology - McMaster University, 1983

Research:

My students and I are interested in how the mammalian brain processes and remembers information. As a model system we focus on rat discrimination and memory for odors. Using electrophysiological, behavioral, neuroanatomical and pharmacological approaches, we explore the neurobiology of memory and the role of experience in sensory system function. The underlying hypothesis of much of our work is that memory plays a critical role in even basic sensory discrimination. In addition, we are interested in how experience early in life can influence sensory system functional development. For example, we are interested in how disruptions of even very simple neural mechanisms during early development can lead to a cascade of long-lasting consequences for brain and behavior. Our current research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Selected Publications:

Barnes, D., Hofacer, R., Zaman, A., Rennaker, R. L. & Wilson, D. A. (2008) Olfactory perceptual stability and discrimination. Nat. Neurosci., 11: 1378-1380.

Wilson, D. A. and Linster, C. L. (2008) Neurobiology of a simple memory. J. Neurophysiol., 100: 2-7.

Rennaker, R. L., Chen, C.-F. F, Ruyle, A., Sloan, A. M. and Wilson, D. A. (2007) Spatial and temporal distribution of odorant-evoked activity in the piriform cortex. J. Neurosci., 27: 1534-1542.

Kadohisa, M. and Wilson, D. A. (2006) Separate encoding of identity and similarity of complex familiar odors in piriform cortex. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (USA), 103: 15206-15211.

Wilson, D. A. and Stevenson, R. J. (2006) Learning to Smell: Olfactory perception from neurobiology to behavior. Johns Hopkins University Press, 336 pages.

Best, A. R. & Wilson, D.A. (2004) Coordinate synaptic mechanisms contributing to olfactory cortical adaptation. J. Neurosci., 24: 652-660.

Wilson, D. A. & Stevenson, R. J. (2003) The fundamental role of memory in olfactory perception. Trends. Neurosci., 26: 243-247.

Fletcher, M. L. & Wilson, D. A. (2003) Olfactory bulb mitral/tufted cell plasticity: Odorant-specific tuning reflects prior odorant exposure. J. Neurosci., 23: 6946-6955.