Dr Michael Craig

Assistant Professor

Department: Psychology

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

I am interested in memory and related functions in human health and disease. My research investigates a variety of questions including: How does memory change as we grow older and in Alzheimer's Disease? How are new memories processed in the brain? How do different post-learning conditions (e.g. quiet rest, being busy) affect the early processing and transformation of new memories? How do we find our way in new and familiar environments? Are there differences in memory functions between hearing and deaf individuals? To do this, I use a range of behavioural and electrophysiological methods, including electroencephalogram (EEG) brain activity recording, sensitive memory measures, neuropsychological tests, and virtual reality. The ultimate goals of my work are to provide new insights into memory in human health and disease in order to develop new diagnostic tools / measures of disease progression (e.g. for Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease) and safe, low-cost interventions to support those with and without memory problems to live as healthy and independently as possible, for as long as possible.

Key Publications

Rest-related consolidation protects the fine detail of new memories, Craig, M., Dewar, M. Dec 2018, In: Scientific Reports
Rapid improvement of cognitive maps in the awake state, Craig, M., Wolbers, T., Strickland, S., Achtzehn, J., Dewar, M. 1 Sep 2019, In: Hippocampus
Rest on It: Awake Quiescence Facilitates Insight, Craig, M., Ottaway, G., Dewar, M. 1 Dec 2018, In: Cortex
Wakeful Rest Promotes the Integration of Spatial Memories into Accurate Cognitive Maps, Craig, M., Dewar, M., Harris, M., Della Sala, S., Wolbers, T. 1 Feb 2016, In: Hippocampus
Comparable rest-related promotion of spatial memory consolidation in younger and older adults, Craig, M., Wolbers, T., Hauff, P., Della Sala, S., Dewar, M. 1 Dec 2016, In: Neurobiology of Aging

PGR Supervision

Sandra Gawel Remember to rest: A technique to boost memory in Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Start Date: 01/10/2022
Joanna Kubiak Can heightened forgetting associated with autistic and ADHD traits be explained by problems in the strengthening of fragile new memories?? Start Date: 01/10/2024