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Simon Killcross
Professor & Head of School
Research Areas: My main areas of interest concern brain mechanisms underlying learning and cognition. One focus of research is the neural substrates underlying executive function, particularly with reference to animal models of schizophrenia. The approach taken is to use well-defined behavioural procedures drawn from current associative learning theory, as well as novel behavioural paradigms, to allow the systematic investigation of the role played by different brain systems in the executive control of cognition and behaviour, with the intention of informing not only psychopharmacological research on putative treatments for mental disorders such as schizophrenia, but also current theories about the interaction of different systems in the higher level control of cognitive function. I also do research applying these findings in a translational manner to patient populations (mostly schizophrenia) and to studies of the broader schizotypic phenotype in the general population.
Academic Career:
BA, MA, PhD (Cantab)
Awards and Scholarships:
2001/2 UK Experimental Psychology Society Prize lecturer award. For outstanding contributions to Experimental Psychology.
1999 British Psychological Society Spearman Medal winner. For published work of outstanding scientific merit.
1997 SmithKline Beecham & British Association for Psychopharmacology, Young Psychopharmacologist of the Year Prize.
Selected Publications:
- Rhodes, S. E. V., Creighton, G., Killcross, A. S., Good, M., & Honey, R. C. (2009). Integration of Geometric With Luminance Information in the Rat: Evidence From Within-Compound Associations. Journal of Experimental Psychology-Animal Behavior Processes, 35(1), 92-98.
- Haddon, J. E., George, D. N., & Killcross, S. (2008). Contextual control of biconditional task performance: Evidence for cue and response competition in rats. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61(9), 1307-1320.
- Wickens, J. R., Horvitz, J. C., Costa, R. M., & Killcross, S. (2007). Dopaminergic mechanisms in actions and habits. Journal of Neuroscience, 27(31), 8181-8183.
- Rhodes, S. E. V., & Killcross, A. S. (2007). Lesions of rat infralimbic cortex result in disrupted retardation but normal summation test performance following training on a Pavlovian conditioned inhibition procedure. European Journal of Neuroscience, 26(9), 2654-2660.
- Rhodes, S. E. V., & Killcross, A. S. (2007). Lesions of rat infralimbic cortex enhance renewal of extinguished appetitive Pavlovian responding. European Journal of Neuroscience, 25(8), 2498-2503.
- Marquis, J. P., Killcross, S., & Haddon, J. E. (2007). Inactivation of the prelimbic, but not infralimbic, prefrontal cortex impairs the contextual control of response conflict in rats. European Journal of Neuroscience, 25(2), 559-566.
- Iordanova, M. D., Killcross, A. S., & Honey, R. C. (2007). Role of the medial prefrontal cortex in acquired distinctiveness and equivalence of cues. Behavioral Neuroscience, 121(6), 1431-1436.
- Dunn, M. J., & Killcross, S. (2007). Medial prefrontal cortex infusion of alpha-flupenthixol attenuates systemic d-amphetamine-induced disruption of conditional discrimination performance in rats. Psychopharmacology, 192(3), 347-355.
Recent Research Grants:
International and National Competition
(all as PI unless otherwise stated):
- (2009-2012) NH&MRC project grant: The neurochemical basis of behavioural control: relevance for addicition, OCD and Tourette syndrome. $360,375
- (2009-2012) ARC Discovery grant: The role of the prefrontal cortex in responding to a changing world. $280,000
- (2008-2011) P1Vital Ltd. (industrial sponsor): The effect of schizotypy on the performance of biomarker assessments: Modulation by risperidone, amisulpride and nicotine [with Profs L Wilkinson and M Owen]. £166,337
- (2008-2011) CASE award, Eli Lilly and BBSRC: Dopaminergic control and repair of reward signalling when learning motor skills and habits [with Prof S Dunnett (PI)]. £29,400
- (2008-2009) British Medical Association: Linking cognition and genetics to dissect the mood/psychosis interface [with Dr. J. Walters (PI)]. £20,000
- (2006-2009) BBSRC project grant: Actions and habits: The relation between cognitive control and behavioural autonomy. £434,803
- (2006-2007) Tourette Syndrome Association: Animal models of TS and habit formation. $75,000
- (2004-2007) BBSRC IABB Initiative grant: The hippocampal formation - an examination and integration of spatial and non-spatial functions. Co-Is: R. Honey, M. Good (Cardiff), and K. Jeffery, N. Burgess (UCL). £701,879
Current Research Students:
Cardiff based: Amy Reichelt, James Walters
Contact Details:
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