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Professor Kevin Fox

Professor

School of Biosciences

Overview

Research overview

Mechanisms Controlling Synaptic Plasticity in the Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex is highly developed in humans. It is that part of the brain which gives us our distinctively human qualities; planning, imagination, speech, vision and conscious thought, to name but a few. The cerebral cortex is also thought to play an important role in long-term memory.

How does the cortex process information and how does it store new information, in other words how does it remember? We are studying these questions in an area of the brain that processes tactile information. We record neuronal activity and measure the way sensory processing is modified by experience. We can look into the brain using advanced microscopy and see how the synapses in the brain are altered by modified sensory experience or by natural learning. We can see how the brain changes when learning to distinguish between different tactile textures.

Our earlier work established the role played by several of the molecules involved in synaptic plasticity such as NMDA receptors, CaMKII, AMPA and Nitric oxide synthase. Currently we are studying the neuronal circuits that control and activate these synaptic mechanisms to create memory circuits.

News

We have a BBSRC SWBio DTP 4-year studentship in the area of Behavioural Neuroscience (Application deadline: Midnight, Monday 5th December 2022).  The project will be supervised by Rob Honey (School of Psychology) and Kevin Fox (School of Biosciences).  The project will be advertised on the DTP website: https://www.swbio.ac.uk/programme/projects-available/ and findaphd.com in the next few days. Please contact either supervisor for further information about the project, and submit your application through the website, copying in the two supervisors.

SWBio also run FREE virtual PhD support events for prospective applicants and provide the chance to ask the SWBio DTP Hub Team anything about bioscience PhDs and the DTP:

  • Applying for a PhD - 12.30-2/6-7.30 Thurs 27 Oct (next week!)
  • Interview with confidence- 12-2/6-8 Wed 9 Nov 

To register + further information >>

Publication

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Articles

Books

  • Fox, K. D. 2008. Barrel cortex. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Websites

Research

Mechanisms Underlying Neuronal Plasticity in the Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex is most highly developed in humans. It is that part of the brain which gives us our distinctively human qualities. How does the cortex process information and how does it store new information, in other words, how does it remember? We are studying these questions in an area of the brain that processes tactile information. We record neuronal activity and measure the way sensory processing is modified by experience (experience-dependent plasticity). We can test whether particular proteins are necessary for plasticity and recent results show that a major post-synaptic protein known as CAMKII is crucial for plasticity in this area of the cortex. Studies on synaptic plasticity implicate the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA channel and neuronal Nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that makes nitric oxide are responsible for post- and pres-synaptic components of potentiation respectively. We are studying all these questions in an area of the somatosensory cortex known as the Barrel cortex. This area of the brain has been intensively studied over recent years in an effort to understand sensory processing, cortical development and cortical plasticity. More information on barrel cortex can be found in this newly published book.

We are also using forward genetic approaches to discover novel molecules involved in plasticity in collaboration with the NIMH funded Conte Centre for Plasticity and Memory, linking Cardiff University, UCLA and UCSF in a three-way collaboration.

Active grants

  • MRC Program grant "Anatomical and molecular pathways for cortical plasticity"
  • NIH Conte Centre Grant "Forward genetic approaches to mechanisms of cortical plasticity"
  • MRC co-operative grant "Plasticity learning and memory"

Collaborations

  • Karel Svoboda, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA
  • Alcino Silva, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • Michael Stryker, UCSF, San Fransisco, CA
  • Joshua Trachtenberg, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • Mark Good, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
  • Frank Sengpiel, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

Affiliated staff

  • Neil Hardingham
  • Nick Wright
  • James Dachtler
  • Adam Ransom
  • Phil Blanning
  • Vincent Jacob
  • Stuart Greenhill
  • John Anderson
  • Tim Gould
  • Claire Cheetham

Biography

Committees and reviewing

I am currently serving on the REF 2021 subpanel 5 (Biological Sciences)

Contact Details

Email FoxKD@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone +44 29208 74632
Campuses Sir Martin Evans Building, Room Cardiff School of Biosciences, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX

External profiles