Dr Hugh Robinson University positionSenior Lecturer Dr Hugh Robinson is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students. DepartmentsDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience Home pagehttp://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/staff/r... Research ThemesInterestsWe study synaptic integration in mammalian cortical neurons - encoding of synaptic inputs into patterns of action potentials, or spikes. We are currently interested in - development of advanced electrical stimulation techniques (conductance injection) - ion channel kinetics which are functionally relevant to synaptic integration, in particular voltage- and time-dependence of NMDA receptor kinetics. - the dynamics and reliability of spike generation and of gamma frequency synchronization. - the diversity of spike dynamics amongst different cell types in the cortical circuit. - coding by action potential shape in cortical neurons  Whole-cell recording of synaptic connection between two layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the rat somatosensory cortex Click image to view full-size Research Focus
EquipmentCalcium imaging Computational modelling Conductance injection Electrophysiological recording techniques Field potential recording Fluorescence microscopy Whole cell patch clamp CollaboratorsNo collaborators listed Associated News ItemsKey publicationsGouwens NW, Zeberg H, Tsumoto K, Tateno T, Aihara K, Robinson HP (2010), “Synchronization of firing in cortical fast-spiking interneurons at gamma frequencies: a phase-resetting analysis.” PLoS Comput Biol 6(9) Details Robinson HPC, (2009), “Synaptic conductances and spike generation in cortical cells.” In: Dynamic clamp: from Principles to Applications, Springer Tateno T, Robinson HP (2009), “Integration of broadband conductance input in rat somatosensory cortical inhibitory interneurons: an inhibition-controlled switch between intrinsic and input-driven spiking in fast-spiking cells.” J Neurophysiol 101(2):1056-72 Details Morita K, Kalra R, Aihara K, Robinson HP (2008), “Recurrent synaptic input and the timing of gamma-frequency-modulated firing of pyramidal cells during neocortical "UP" states.” J Neurosci 28(8):1871-81 Details Robinson HP (2008), “A scriptable DSP-based system for dynamic conductance injection.” J Neurosci Methods 169(2):271-81 Details Publications2012Shi Y, Kirwan P, Smith J, Robinson HP, Livesey FJ (2012), “Human cerebral cortex development from pluripotent stem cells to functional excitatory synapses.” Nat Neurosci 15(3):477-86, S1 Details 2011Kim NK, Robinson HP (2011), “Effects of divalent cations on slow unblock of native NMDA receptors in mouse neocortical pyramidal neurons.” Eur J Neurosci 34(2):199-212 Details 2010Subkhankulova T, Yano K, Robinson HP, Livesey FJ (2010), “Grouping and classifying electrophysiologically-defined classes of neocortical neurons by single cell, whole-genome expression profiling.” Front Mol Neurosci 3:10 Details 2007Tateno T, Robinson HP (2007), “Phase resetting curves and oscillatory stability in interneurons of rat somatosensory cortex.” Biophys J 92(2):683-95 Details 2006Kleppe IC, Robinson HP (2006), “Correlation entropy of synaptic input-output dynamics.” Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 74(4 Pt 1):041909 Details Tateno T, Robinson HP (2006), “Rate coding and spike-time variability in cortical neurons with two types of threshold dynamics.” J Neurophysiol 95(4):2650-63 Details Yano K, Subkhankulova T, Livesey FJ, Robinson HP (2006), “Electrophysiological and gene expression profiling of neuronal cell types in mammalian neocortex.” J Physiol 575(Pt 2):361-5 Details 2005de Polavieja GG, Harsch A, Kleppe I, Robinson HP, Juusola M (2005), “Stimulus history reliably shapes action potential waveforms of cortical neurons.” J Neurosci 25(23):5657-65 Details Mason MJ, Simpson AK, Mahaut-Smith MP, Robinson HP (2005), “The interpretation of current-clamp recordings in the cell-attached patch-clamp configuration.” Biophys J 88(1):739-50 Details Tateno T, Jimbo Y, Robinson HP (2005), “Spatio-temporal cholinergic modulation in cultured networks of rat cortical neurons: spontaneous activity.” Neuroscience 134(2):425-37 Details Tateno T, Jimbo Y, Robinson HP (2005), “Spatio-temporal cholinergic modulation in cultured networks of rat cortical neurons: evoked activity.” Neuroscience 134(2):439-48 Details 2004Tateno T, Harsch A, Robinson HP (2004), “Threshold firing frequency-current relationships of neurons in rat somatosensory cortex: type 1 and type 2 dynamics.” J Neurophysiol 92(4):2283-94 Details Vargas-Caballero M, Robinson HP (2004), “Fast and slow voltage-dependent dynamics of magnesium block in the NMDA receptor: the asymmetric trapping block model.” J Neurosci 24(27):6171-80 Details 2003Vargas-Caballero M, Robinson HP (2003), “A slow fraction of Mg2+ unblock of NMDA receptors limits their contribution to spike generation in cortical pyramidal neurons.” J Neurophysiol 89(5):2778-83 Details 2002Robinson HP, Harsch A (2002), “Stages of spike time variability during neuronal responses to transient inputs.” Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 66(6 Pt 1):061902 Details 2000Harsch A, Robinson HP (2000), “Postsynaptic variability of firing in rat cortical neurons: the roles of input synchronization and synaptic NMDA receptor conductance.” J Neurosci 20(16):6181-92 Details 1999Kleppe IC, Robinson HP (1999), “Determining the activation time course of synaptic AMPA receptors from openings of colocalized NMDA receptors.” Biophys J 77(3):1418-27 Details 1998Harsch A, Konno K, Takayama H, Kawai N, Robinson H (1998), “Effects of alpha-pompilidotoxin on synchronized firing in networks of rat cortical neurons.” Neurosci Lett 252(1):49-52 Details 1993Robinson HP, Kawai N (1993), “Injection of digitally synthesized synaptic conductance transients to measure the integrative properties of neurons.” J Neurosci Methods 49(3):157-65 Details |