Craig Weiss

Craig Weiss
Res. Assistant Professor PhD, Northwestern University
cweiss@northwestern.edu	Searle 4-445	(312) 503-0529

My research interests are focused upon the neural mechanisms responsible for learning and memory in young adults and the impairment of these mechanisms with age. I have used model systems and various techniques to address these issues. The dominant behavioral paradigm that I use is eyeblink conditioning, in which a subject learns to blink in response to a tone that has been paired with an airpuff to the eye. The techniques include multiple single neuron recording in awake behaving rabbits to determine how information is processed through the brain, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to localize and observe learning related activity throughout the entire brain, behavioral pharmacology to characterize novel compounds that may ameliorate age-related impairments, and the characterization of normal and genetically altered mice in order to test potential therapeutic agents for the prevention of age-related memory impairments.

Selected Publications:

Wyrwicz, AM, Chen, N-K, Li, L, Weiss, C and Disterhoft, JF (2000) fMRI of visual system activation in the conscious rabbit. Magnetic Resonance in Med. 44:474-478.

Weiss, C, Preston, AR, Oh, MM, Schwarz, RD, Welty, D and Disterhoft, JF (2000) The M1 muscarinic agonist CI-1017 facilitates hippocampally-dependent trace eyeblink conditioning in aging rabbits and Increases the excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons. J. Neurosci. 20 (2):783-790.

Weiss, C, Knuttinen, M-G, Power, JM, Patel, RI, O'Connor, MS and Disterhoft, JF (1999) Trace eyeblink conditioning in the freely moving rat: Optimizing the conditioning parameters. Behav. Neurosci. 113 (5): 1-6.

Weiss, C, Bouwmeester, H, Power, JM and Disterhoft, JF (1999) Hippocampal Lesions Prevent Trace Eyeblink Conditioning in the Freely Moving Rat. Behav. Brain Res. 99 (2): 123-132.

Weiss, C, Shroff, A and Disterhoft, JF (1998) Spatial learning and memory in aging C57BL/6 mice. Neurosci. Res. Comm. 23 (2): 77-92.

Weiss, C and Disterhoft, JF (1996) Eyeblink conditioning, motor control, and the analysis of limbic-cerebellar interactions. Behav. and Brain Sci. 19 (3): 479-481.

Weiss, C, Kronforst-Collins, MA and Disterhoft, JF (1996) Activity of Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons During Trace Eyeblink Conditioning. Hippocampus. 6 (2): 192-209.

Shors, TJ, Weiss, C and Thompson, RF (1992) Stress increases learning of the classically conditioned eyeblink response in the freely moving rat. Science, 257: 537-539.

For Questions and Comments about web site please contact Webmaster