Laura Colgin

Laura Colgin is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin, serving as Director of the Center for Learning and Memory and holding the Karl Folkers Chair in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research. Her work focuses on understanding how neuronal oscillations in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex coordinate population activity during learning and memory. She employs advanced techniques like multisite tetrode and Neuropixels recordings in freely behaving animals to study memory representation and disturbances in rodent models of cognitive disorders.

Her research interests span electrophysiology, optogenetics, computational neuroscience, and behavioral analysis, with a focus on translating findings to understand learning disabilities and memory disorders. Colgin directs the Colgin Lab, which investigates rhythmic coordination in neural circuits and its impact on spatial navigation, memory consolidation, and cognitive impairments.

Recent publications highlight her work on hippocampal gamma rhythms’ role in encoding novel experiences, sleep-dependent memory replay, and disturbances in oscillatory patterns in models of epilepsy-bipolar disorder comorbidity. She also explores spatial coding differences during slow vs. fast gamma rhythms and the effects of early-life stress on long-term cognitive decline.

• Awards:
  • BBRF Distinguished Investigator (2024)
  • Suffrage Science Award (2020)
  • NSF CAREER Award (2015)
• Labs/Teams: Colgin Lab, Center for Learning and Memory

Her interdisciplinary approach bridges basic neuroscience with translational research, addressing mechanisms underlying memory disorders and developing models to study cognitive dysfunction.