Professor David Bilkey
 Contact
Details
Head of Department
Tel 64 3 479 7644
Email psyhod@psy.otago.ac.nz
Biological Basis of Memory
Episodic memories are “tagged” to a particular
moment in time and space (ie, memory for what, when and where).
Our research investigates how the brain encodes an episodic
memory. We have focused on the hippocampal region of the brain,
which appears to process “where” information and
the neighbouring perirhinal cortex, which appears to encode
“what”. Given that there is connectivity between
the hippocampus and this neighbouring cortex, we have hypothesised
that an episodic memory is created when hippocampal-based
information about place is combined with perirhinal-based
information about objects. Furthermore, we propose that prefrontal
cortex has a role in integrating this information with prior
experience and motivation. We are currently testing this
hypothesis using a variety of behavioral and electrophysiological
techniques. These projects will help elucidate how the
brain melds place and object information that is distributed
across different brain areas, into a coherent memory. At a
higher level, it will inform us as to why place information
seems to be such an important component of an episodic memory.
Some recent publications
Bilkey DK. Neocortical influences on hippocampal place cells
in Mizumori, S (Ed) Hippocampal Place Fields: Relevance to
Learning and Memory. Oxford University Press. pp 253-270 (2008)
Wolff, A and Bilkey, D K Immune activation during mid-gestation
disrupts
sensorimotor gating in adult rat offspring. Behavioural
Brain research 190:156-9 (2008).
Douglas, K M and Bilkey D. K. Amusia is associated with deficits
in spatial processing
Nature Neuroscience 10: 915-921 (2007)
Bilkey D K. Space and context in the temporal cortex Hippocampus
17:813-825 (2007)
Bilkey, D. K., & Clearwater, J. M. (2005). The dynamic
nature of spatial encoding in the hippocampus. Behavioural
Neuroscience, 119, 1533-1545.
Kyd, R., & Bilkey, D.K. (2005). Hippocampal place cells
show increased sensitivity to changes in the local environment
following prefrontal cortex lesions. Cerebral Cortex,
15, 720-731.
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