Dr Mick Craig

  • Senior Lecturer (Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging)

Research interests

Research Overview

I am a neurophysiologist interested in how interneurons can control synchronous neuronal network activity, and how different brain regions coordinate their activity across long distances. While comprising only a small percentage of cortical neurons, inhibitory interneurons play a fundamental role in coordinating and pacing the rhythm of neuronal oscillations. My previous work has included studying slow oscillations in sensory and entorhinal cortices, and faster rhythms (gamma oscillations and sharp-wave ripples) in the hippocampus.

The research in my group uses a combination of behavioural, in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological and optogenetic methods to understand the cellular circuitry through which different brain regions communicate across long distances. We are also interested in studying how these long-range projections are disrupted in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

Biography

I completed my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow in 2006. This degree included a year in the pharmaceutical industry, where I carried out schizophrenia research at Merck, Sharp and Dohme in Harlow, Essex. I then moved to the University of Oxford to study on a four year Wellcome Trust DPhil in the OXION programme, working with Prof Ole Paulsen and Dr Louise Upton, graduating in 2011.

In the final year of mys doctoral studies, Prof Paulsen moved to the University of Cambridge to take up the Chair of Physiology, so after completing my DPhil, I spent a few months in Cambridge before moving to the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA) in 2011, to work as a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow in the group of Dr Chris McBain.

I moved back to the UK in early 2016 to establish my research group at the University of Exeter on an early career fellowship funded by the Vandervell Foundation, before taking up a Senior Lecturer position here in Glasgow in 2020.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2017 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013
Number of items: 21.

2025

Andrianova, Lilya, Banks, Paul J., Booth, Clair A., Brady, Erica S., Margetts-Smith, Gabriella, Kohli, Shivali, Cavanagh, Jonathan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0640-8050, Bashir, Zafar I., McBain, Chris J. and Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2025) Hippocampal pyramidal cells of the CA1 region are not a major target of the thalamic nucleus reuniens. PLoS Biology, (doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003419) (PMID:41082527) (Accepted for Publication)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and González-Rueda, Ana ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8007-4728 (2025) Do inhibitory interneurons encode information or just keep the rhythm? Science, 389(6764), pp. 979-980. (doi: 10.1126/science.aea6738) (PMID:40906840)

2024

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Bielska, Monika H. and Jeffery, Kate ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9495-0378 (2024) Mechanisms and implications of gamma oscillation plasticity. Trends in Neurosciences, 47(6), pp. 398-399. (doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.05.002) (PMID:38760193)

2023

Witton, Jonathan, Brady, Erica S. and Craig, Michael ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2023) Sleep-based neuronal oscillations as a physiological biomarker for Alzheimer's disease: is night time the right time? Neural Regeneration Research, 19(7), pp. 1417-1418. (doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.386412) (PMID:38051875) (PMCID:PMC10883485)

Andrianova, Lilya, Yanakieva, Steliana, Margetts-Smith, Gabriella, Kohli, Shivali, Brady, Erica S, Aggleton, John P. and Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2023) No evidence from complementary data sources of a direct glutamatergic projection from the mouse anterior cingulate area to the hippocampal formation. eLife, 12, e77364. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.77364) (PMID:37545394) (PMCID:PMC10425170)

Brady, Erica S., Griffiths, Jessica, Andrianova, Lilya, Bielska, Monika H., Saito, Takashi, Saido, Takaomi C., Randall, Andrew D., Tamagnini, Francesco, Witton, Jonathan and Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2023) Alterations to parvalbumin-expressing interneuron function and associated network oscillations in the hippocampal – medial prefrontal cortex circuit during natural sleep in AppNL-G-F/NL-G-F mice. Neurobiology of Disease, 182, p. 106151. (doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106151) (PMID:37172910)

2022

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and Witton, Jonathan (2022) A cellular switchboard in memory circuits. Science, 377(6603), pp. 262-263. (doi: 10.1126/science.add2681) (PMID:35857601)

2021

Xiao, M.-F. et al. (2021) A biomarker-authenticated model of schizophrenia implicating NPTX2 loss of function. Science Advances, 7(48), eabf6935. (doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abf6935) (PMID:34818031) (PMCID:PMC8612534)

2017

Li, J. et al. (2017) Molecular dissection of Neuroligin 2 and Slitrk3 reveals an essential framework for GABAergic synapse development. Neuron, 96(4), 808-826.e8. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.10.003) (PMID:29107521) (PMCID:PMC5957482)

Pelkey, Kenneth A., Chittajallu, Ramesh, Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Tricoire, Ludovic, Wester, Jason C. and McBain, Chris J. (2017) Hippocampal GABAergic inhibitory interneurons. Physiological Reviews, 97(4), pp. 1619-1747. (doi: 10.1152/physrev.00007.2017) (PMID:28954853) (PMCID:PMC6151493)

Chittajallu, R. et al. (2017) Afferent specific role of NMDA receptors for the circuit integration of hippocampal neurogliaform cells. Nature Communications, 8, 152. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00218-y) (PMID:28751664) (PMCID:PMC5532276)

Xiao, M.-F. et al. (2017) NPTX2 and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. eLife, 6, e23798. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.23798) (PMID:28440221) (PMCID:PMC5404919)

2015

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and McBain, Chris J. (2015) Navigating the circuitry of the brain's GPS system: future challenges for neurophysiologists. Hippocampus, 25(6), pp. 736-743. (doi: 10.1002/hipo.22456) (PMID:25786788) (PMCID:PMC6322401)

Pelkey, K. A. et al. (2015) Pentraxins coordinate excitatory synapse maturation and circuit integration of parvalbumin interneurons. Neuron, 85(6), pp. 1257-1272. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.02.020) (PMID:25754824) (PMCID:PMC4368480)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and McBain, Chris J. (2015) Fast gamma oscillations are generated intrinsically in CA1 without the involvement of fast-spiking basket cells. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(8), pp. 3616-3624. (doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4166-14.2015) (PMID:25716860) (PMCID:PMC4339363)

2014

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and McBain, Chris J. (2014) The emerging role of GABAB receptors as regulators of network dynamics: fast actions from a 'slow' receptor? Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 26, pp. 15-21. (doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2013.10.002) (PMID:24650499) (PMCID:PMC4024344)

2013

Chittajallu, R. et al. (2013) Dual origins of functionally distinct O-LM interneurons revealed by differential 5-HT3AR expression. Nature Neuroscience, 16(11), pp. 1598-1607. (doi: 10.1038/nn.3538) (PMID:24097043) (PMCID:PMC3839306)

Matta, Jose A., Pelkey, Kenneth A., Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Chittajallu, Ramesh, Jeffries, Brian W. and McBain, Chris J. (2013) Developmental origin dictates interneuron AMPA and NMDA receptor subunit composition and plasticity. Nature Neuroscience, 16(8), pp. 1032-1041. (doi: 10.1038/nn.3459) (PMID:23852113) (PMCID:PMC4132661)

Mayne, Elizabeth W., Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, McBain, Chris J. and Paulsen, Ole (2013) Dopamine suppresses persistent network activity via D1-like dopamine receptors in rat medial entorhinal cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37(8), pp. 1242-1247. (doi: 10.1111/ejn.12125) (PMID:23336973) (PMCID:PMC3628042)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Mayne, Elizabeth W., Bettler, Bernhard, Paulsen, Ole and McBain, Chris J. (2013) Distinct roles of GABAB1a- and GABAB1b-containing GABAB receptors in spontaneous and evoked termination of persistent cortical activity. Journal of Physiology, 591(4), pp. 835-843. (doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2012.248088) (PMID:23266934) (PMCID:PMC3591701)

Rodríguez-Moreno, Antonio, González-Rueda, Ana, Banerjee, Abhishek, Upton, A. Louise, Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and Paulsen, Ole (2013) Presynaptic self-depression at developing neocortical synapses. Neuron, 77(1), pp. 35-42. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.10.035) (PMID:23312514) (PMCID:PMC3542421)

This list was generated on Fri Oct 17 18:00:58 2025 BST.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 21.

Articles

Andrianova, Lilya, Banks, Paul J., Booth, Clair A., Brady, Erica S., Margetts-Smith, Gabriella, Kohli, Shivali, Cavanagh, Jonathan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0640-8050, Bashir, Zafar I., McBain, Chris J. and Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2025) Hippocampal pyramidal cells of the CA1 region are not a major target of the thalamic nucleus reuniens. PLoS Biology, (doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003419) (PMID:41082527) (Accepted for Publication)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and González-Rueda, Ana ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8007-4728 (2025) Do inhibitory interneurons encode information or just keep the rhythm? Science, 389(6764), pp. 979-980. (doi: 10.1126/science.aea6738) (PMID:40906840)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Bielska, Monika H. and Jeffery, Kate ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9495-0378 (2024) Mechanisms and implications of gamma oscillation plasticity. Trends in Neurosciences, 47(6), pp. 398-399. (doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.05.002) (PMID:38760193)

Witton, Jonathan, Brady, Erica S. and Craig, Michael ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2023) Sleep-based neuronal oscillations as a physiological biomarker for Alzheimer's disease: is night time the right time? Neural Regeneration Research, 19(7), pp. 1417-1418. (doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.386412) (PMID:38051875) (PMCID:PMC10883485)

Andrianova, Lilya, Yanakieva, Steliana, Margetts-Smith, Gabriella, Kohli, Shivali, Brady, Erica S, Aggleton, John P. and Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2023) No evidence from complementary data sources of a direct glutamatergic projection from the mouse anterior cingulate area to the hippocampal formation. eLife, 12, e77364. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.77364) (PMID:37545394) (PMCID:PMC10425170)

Brady, Erica S., Griffiths, Jessica, Andrianova, Lilya, Bielska, Monika H., Saito, Takashi, Saido, Takaomi C., Randall, Andrew D., Tamagnini, Francesco, Witton, Jonathan and Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 (2023) Alterations to parvalbumin-expressing interneuron function and associated network oscillations in the hippocampal – medial prefrontal cortex circuit during natural sleep in AppNL-G-F/NL-G-F mice. Neurobiology of Disease, 182, p. 106151. (doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106151) (PMID:37172910)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and Witton, Jonathan (2022) A cellular switchboard in memory circuits. Science, 377(6603), pp. 262-263. (doi: 10.1126/science.add2681) (PMID:35857601)

Xiao, M.-F. et al. (2021) A biomarker-authenticated model of schizophrenia implicating NPTX2 loss of function. Science Advances, 7(48), eabf6935. (doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abf6935) (PMID:34818031) (PMCID:PMC8612534)

Li, J. et al. (2017) Molecular dissection of Neuroligin 2 and Slitrk3 reveals an essential framework for GABAergic synapse development. Neuron, 96(4), 808-826.e8. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.10.003) (PMID:29107521) (PMCID:PMC5957482)

Pelkey, Kenneth A., Chittajallu, Ramesh, Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Tricoire, Ludovic, Wester, Jason C. and McBain, Chris J. (2017) Hippocampal GABAergic inhibitory interneurons. Physiological Reviews, 97(4), pp. 1619-1747. (doi: 10.1152/physrev.00007.2017) (PMID:28954853) (PMCID:PMC6151493)

Chittajallu, R. et al. (2017) Afferent specific role of NMDA receptors for the circuit integration of hippocampal neurogliaform cells. Nature Communications, 8, 152. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00218-y) (PMID:28751664) (PMCID:PMC5532276)

Xiao, M.-F. et al. (2017) NPTX2 and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. eLife, 6, e23798. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.23798) (PMID:28440221) (PMCID:PMC5404919)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and McBain, Chris J. (2015) Navigating the circuitry of the brain's GPS system: future challenges for neurophysiologists. Hippocampus, 25(6), pp. 736-743. (doi: 10.1002/hipo.22456) (PMID:25786788) (PMCID:PMC6322401)

Pelkey, K. A. et al. (2015) Pentraxins coordinate excitatory synapse maturation and circuit integration of parvalbumin interneurons. Neuron, 85(6), pp. 1257-1272. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.02.020) (PMID:25754824) (PMCID:PMC4368480)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and McBain, Chris J. (2015) Fast gamma oscillations are generated intrinsically in CA1 without the involvement of fast-spiking basket cells. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(8), pp. 3616-3624. (doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4166-14.2015) (PMID:25716860) (PMCID:PMC4339363)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and McBain, Chris J. (2014) The emerging role of GABAB receptors as regulators of network dynamics: fast actions from a 'slow' receptor? Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 26, pp. 15-21. (doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2013.10.002) (PMID:24650499) (PMCID:PMC4024344)

Chittajallu, R. et al. (2013) Dual origins of functionally distinct O-LM interneurons revealed by differential 5-HT3AR expression. Nature Neuroscience, 16(11), pp. 1598-1607. (doi: 10.1038/nn.3538) (PMID:24097043) (PMCID:PMC3839306)

Matta, Jose A., Pelkey, Kenneth A., Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Chittajallu, Ramesh, Jeffries, Brian W. and McBain, Chris J. (2013) Developmental origin dictates interneuron AMPA and NMDA receptor subunit composition and plasticity. Nature Neuroscience, 16(8), pp. 1032-1041. (doi: 10.1038/nn.3459) (PMID:23852113) (PMCID:PMC4132661)

Mayne, Elizabeth W., Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, McBain, Chris J. and Paulsen, Ole (2013) Dopamine suppresses persistent network activity via D1-like dopamine receptors in rat medial entorhinal cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37(8), pp. 1242-1247. (doi: 10.1111/ejn.12125) (PMID:23336973) (PMCID:PMC3628042)

Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709, Mayne, Elizabeth W., Bettler, Bernhard, Paulsen, Ole and McBain, Chris J. (2013) Distinct roles of GABAB1a- and GABAB1b-containing GABAB receptors in spontaneous and evoked termination of persistent cortical activity. Journal of Physiology, 591(4), pp. 835-843. (doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2012.248088) (PMID:23266934) (PMCID:PMC3591701)

Rodríguez-Moreno, Antonio, González-Rueda, Ana, Banerjee, Abhishek, Upton, A. Louise, Craig, Michael T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8481-6709 and Paulsen, Ole (2013) Presynaptic self-depression at developing neocortical synapses. Neuron, 77(1), pp. 35-42. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.10.035) (PMID:23312514) (PMCID:PMC3542421)

This list was generated on Fri Oct 17 18:00:58 2025 BST.

Grants

Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.

  • Thalamic place cells: Where, how and why?
    Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
    2025 - 2027
     
  • Developing a novel model of Lewy Body Dementia
    Alzheimer`s Research UK
    2022 - 2023
     

Supervision

Supervised Postgraduate Students

  • Monika Bielska (Postgraduate)
  • Yaprak Karabalci (Postgraduate)
  • Kai Lo (Postgraduate)
  • Oyinkasola Peleyeju (Postgraduate)
  • Jack Pittendreigh (Postgraduate)
  • Bryony Morgan Simmons (Postgraduate)
  • Jinghong Xie (Postgraduate)
  • Liang Yue (Postgraduate)

Research Assistant

Teaching

COURSES

  • MSc Brain Sciences: Fundamentals of Neuroscience Research
  • MSc Brain Sciences: Animal Models of Disease and Function (Course Leader)

Professional activities & recognition

Prizes, awards & distinctions

  • 2023: Preprint Award (ASAPBio)

Research fellowships

  • 2016 - 2019: Vandervell Fellowship

Grant committees & research advisory boards

  • 2021: Medical Research Council (MRC), Neuroimmunology Data Generation Award for ECRs
  • 2023 - Present: Alzheimer's Research UK, Scotland Network Steering Group

Professional & learned societies

  • 2006: Member, British Neuroscience Association
  • 2012: Member, Physiological Society
  • 2022: Member, British Association for Psychopharmacologists

Dr Mick Craig