Michael Hasselmo is an American

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...

and professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...

. He is the director of the Center for Systems Neuroscience and is editor-in-chief of

Hippocampus The hippocampus (via Latin from Greek , ' seahorse') is a major component of the brain of humans and other vertebrates. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in each side of the brain. The hippocampus is part of the limbic system, ...

(journal). Hasselmo studies oscillatory dynamics and

neuromodulatory Neuromodulation is the physiological process by which a given neuron uses one or more chemicals to regulate diverse populations of neurons. Neuromodulators typically bind to metabotropic, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to initiate a second ...

regulation in cortical mechanisms for memory guided behavior and spatial navigation using a combination of neurophysiological and behavioral experiments in conjunction with

computational modeling Computer simulation is the process of mathematical modelling, performed on a computer, which is designed to predict the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be dete ...

. In addition to his peer-reviewed publications, Hasselmo wrote the book ''How We Remember: Brain Mechanisms of Episodic Memory''. Grid_Cell_in_the_Entorhinal_Cortex

Education and early life

Hasselmo grew up in Golden Valley, Minnesota. His father

Nils Hasselmo Nils Hasselmo (July 2, 1931 – January 23, 2019) was the thirteenth president of the University of Minnesota, serving from 1988 to 1997. He went on to become the president of the Association of American Universities from 1998 to 2006. Backgroun ...

was a professor of Scandinavian languages and literature, and later the president of the University of Minnesota and the president of the

Association of American Universities The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ...

(AAU). Hasselmo graduated summa cum laude in 1984 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

with a special concentration in behavioral neuroscience. At the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

, he completed a DPhil from the Department of

Experimental Psychology Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...

in 1988 based on unit recording of face-responsive neurons in the monkey

temporal lobe The temporal lobe is one of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex in the brain of mammals. The temporal lobe is located beneath the lateral fissure on both cerebral hemispheres of the mammalian brain. The temporal lobe is involved in proc ...

. Hasselmo is married to Professor Chantal Stern and father of two children.

Career and research

From 1988 to 1991, Hasselmo completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

where he published work on modulatory mechanisms in cortical

brain The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head ( cephalization), usually near organs for special ...

slice preparations. Following his post-doc, Hasselmo was an Associate Professor at

studying the cholinergic modulation of

synaptic transmission Neurotransmission (Latin: ''transmissio'' "passage, crossing" from ''transmittere'' "send, let through") is the process by which signaling molecules called neurotransmitters are released by the axon terminal of a neuron (the presynaptic neuron) ...

and spike frequency accommodation in cortical structures. He demonstrated that

acetylcholine Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic chemical that functions in the brain and body of many types of animals (including humans) as a neurotransmitter. Its name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Par ...

sets appropriate cortical dynamics for the encoding of new information. He is best known for his work on neuromodulators, particularly

and for his

work on the

hippocampus The hippocampus (via Latin from Greek , ' seahorse') is a major component of the brain of humans and other vertebrates. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in each side of the brain. The hippocampus is part of the limbic system, ...

and

prefrontal cortex In mammalian brain anatomy, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) covers the front part of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. The PFC contains the Brodmann areas BA8, BA9, BA10, BA11, BA12, BA13, BA14, BA24, BA25, BA32, BA44, BA45, BA ...

, especially regarding the functional role of

theta rhythm Theta waves generate the theta rhythm, a neural oscillation in the brain that underlies various aspects of cognition and behavior, including learning, memory, and spatial navigation in many animals. It can be recorded using various electrophysio ...

. In his current role as the director of the Center for Systems Neuroscience at

, his laboratory studies the oscillatory dynamics of the retrosplenial cortex (e.g., egocentric boundary cells and head direction cells), the

entorhinal cortex The entorhinal cortex (EC) is an area of the brain's allocortex, located in the medial temporal lobe, whose functions include being a widespread network hub for memory, navigation, and the perception of time.Integrating time from experience in ...

(e.g.,

grid cell A grid cell is a type of neuron within the entorhinal cortex that fires at regular intervals as an animal navigates an open area, allowing it to understand its position in space by storing and integrating information about location, distance, and ...

s, head direction cells, and speed modulated cells) and the

(e.g., time cells,

place cell A place cell is a kind of pyramidal neuron in the hippocampus that becomes active when an animal enters a particular place in its environment, which is known as the place field. Place cells are thought to act collectively as a cognitive represen ...

s and context-dependent splitter cells). Additionally, Hasselmo’s modeling work include network level models and detailed biophysical models. Publications from the lab address the function of theta rhythm oscillations in the encoding of information in the

and related cortical structures, building on his earlier models of the role of

in regulating mechanisms of encoding and consolidation. Notable lab alumni include Prof. Mark Brandon, Prof. Thom Cleland, Prof. Holger Dannenberg, Prof. Amy Griffin, Prof. Lisa Giocomo, Prof. James Heys, Prof. Marc Howard, Prof. Jake Hinman and many more.

Awards and honors

Hasselmo is on the editorial board of a number of scientific journals, including

, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, and Behavioral Neuroscience. Previously, Hasselmo was on the editorial board of

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

. Prior to attending

, Hasselmo received a Rhodes scholarship. In 2003, Hasselmo was President of the International Neural Network Society (INNIS); he served on the board prior to and after holding the presidential position. Additionally Hasselmo was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, ...

in 2018 and as a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsi ...

in 2011. He’s received the Hebb Award from the International Neural Network Society recognizing achievement in Biological Learning, and was appointed as a William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor.

References

External links

Laboratory page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasselmo, Michael Boston University faculty Living people American neuroscientists Harvard College alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford 1962 births