The overarching goal of my research is to understand how neurons interact dynamically within local cortical circuits to mediate behaviourally relevant functions. I have focused particularly on the role of GABAergic interneurons in controlling the generation and synchronization of cortical network oscillations.

My original undergraduate studies were in Experimental Psychology at The Queen’s College, Oxford, UK, during which I became most interested in how cognitive functions could emerge from the electrical activity within neuronal circuits. An MSc in Neuroscience provided the theoretical framework and practical skills required for a more cellular approach, and I was subsequently awarded a Goodger Scholarship from the Oxford Medical School to undertake a D.Phil. project in cellular neuroscience with Professor Susan Greenfield at the Department of Pharmacology. I moved next to the laboratory of Dr Ole Paulsen , at the Department of Physiology, to study the roles distinct subtypes of GABAergic interneurons in synchronising cortical network rhythms.

At the beginning of 2007, I moved to Istvan’s laboratory. My current research focuses on two areas: (i) determining the role of tonic GABAergic inhibition in modulating hippocampal network activity, and (ii) understanding how dysfunctions in cortical GABAergic signaling contribute to neurological disorders.

Ed Mann - Curriculum Vitae

Updated February 2012: Ed Mann has recently accepted a position as University Lecturer in Neuroscience in the Department of Physiology Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford University.