Dr Michael Kohl
- Senior Lecturer (Centre for Neuroscience)
Research interests
Biography
Michael Kohl received a B.Sc in Neuroscience (2005) from University College London, and, as part of the Wellcome Trust Oxford Ion Channel Initiative, a D.Phil in Physiology (2009) from the University of Oxford. He carried out his postdoctoral studies at the University of Cambridge and Stanford University (2010-2011) and the University of California, Berkeley (2012-2013). He became an Early Career Research Fellow at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics in 2013 and University Research Lecturer in 2018. He took up a Senior Lectureship in Neuroscience in the Centre for Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow in 2018.
Research interests
Research in our laboratory (www.kohllab.org) focuses on how neural activity in primary sensory cortices integrates with activity in a higher order cortex, such as the retrosplenial cortex. We combine theoretical studies to make quantitative predictions about population codes and their information content to help us guide experiments. We also continue to develop novel experimental tools and analysis approaches.
Our ongoing research is broadly focused on three projects:
- Role of interneurons in somatosensory perception: We study how different types of inhibitory interneurons are optimised for controlling neural codes.
- Role of hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex in associative memory: We study the interplay of hippocampus and sensory cortices with the retrosplenial cortex during the formation and retrieval of associative memories.
- Tool development: We develop novel approaches for recording and manipulating the function of large populations of neurons.
Grants
Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.
- Rescuing AD-related changes in spine density and calcium dynamics using a novel TrkB agonist
Alzheimer`s Research UK
2022 - 2023
- Restoring hippocampal-cortical memory consolidation in models of Alzheimer's Disease
Medical Research Council
2019 - 2022
Supervision
Supervised Postgraduate Students
- Alberto Failla (Postgraduate)
- Luca Kaemmer (Visiting Postgraduate)
- Kai Lo (Postgraduate)
Research Assistants
- Ana Carolina Bottura de Barros (Research Associate)
- Philip Graemer (Affiliate)
- Severin Limal (Affiliate)
Visiting Collaborators
- Mariangela Panniello (External Collaborator)
- Athanasios Rogdakis (Visiting Researcher)
Teaching
Programmes
- MSc Brain Sciences (Programme Deputy Leader)
- BSc/MSci Neuroscience
Courses
- BIOL5283 - Fundamentals of Neuroscience Research (Course Leader)
- BIOL5364 - Designing a Research Project
- BIOL5316p - Brain Sciences Research Project
- BIOL5313 - Current Research Topics in Psychology, Neuroscience & Brain Imaging
- Neuromodulation & Synaptic Plasticity 4C Option
Professional activities & recognition
Prizes, awards & distinctions
- 2015: Young Investigator Award (Human Frontiers Science Programme)
- 2018: University Research Lectureship (University of Oxford)
Research fellowships
- 2013 - 2016: Long Term Fellowship, Human Frontiers Science Programme
- 2013 - 2018: Early Career Research Fellowship, University of Oxford