Professor Philip Winn became Head of Institute in April 2011. He began his career at St Andrews, becoming Dean of Science and then a Vice Principal. He joined Strathclyde in January 2010 as a Deputy Principal with a brief to develop the University Strategic Plan 2011-2015, which was delivered and approved by the University Court in November 2010.
Phil and his research team explore brain–behaviour relationships with particular interest in structures deep in brain. Over several years they have developed the general hypothesis that relatively high order processes are represented much lower in the brain than generally supposed. This idea of "higher" functions in "lower" structures is consistent with the notion of distributed processing and representation; with the concept of layered neural architectures; and with evolutionary approaches to brain functioning.
Careful examination of behaviour is important because many brain disorders are described in terms of altered behaviour – changes in the quality of movement or changed patterns of action are often the first signs of neural dysfunction. Phil’s lab looks at how action-outcome associations are formed – that is, how we learn about relationships between our actions and the consequences of those actions. This is part of a programme of research into brain–behaviour relationships that contributes to our understanding of addiction, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, all of which show problems with the selection and execution of actions in one way or another.
Phil is an elected Fellow of the Society of Biology and of the US Association for Psychological Science.
"Making associations: is the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus involved in learning about the outcomes of actions?" The Wellcome Trust
"Psychological mechanisms of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease" European Commission: ERA-Net NEURON - call "European research projects on neurodegenerative diseases of the CNS"
Publications
Boschen SL, Wietzikoski EC, Winn P, Da Cunha C (2011) The role of nucleus accumbens and dorsolateral striatal D2 receptors in active avoidance conditioning. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory , In Press
Gut NK & Winn P (2011) The role of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in motor disorders. In Lane EL & Dunnett SB (eds) Contemporary animal models of movement disorders. Book Chapter , In Press
Bortolanza M, Wietzikoski EC, Boschen SL, Dombrowski PA, Latimer M, Maclaren DA, Winn P, Da Cunha C.
(2010) Functional disconnection of the substantia nigra pars compacta from the pedunculopontine nucleus impairs learning of a conditioned avoidance task. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory94, 229-239
Wilson DI, MacLaren DA, Winn P.
(2009) Bar pressing for food: differential consequences of lesions to the anterior versus posterior pedunculopontine. European Journal of Neuroscience30, 504-513 [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06836.x ]
Wilson DIG, MacLaren DAA & Winn P (2009) On the relationships between the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, corticostriatal architecture and the medial reticular formation. In H Groenewegen et al (Eds) The Basal Ganglia IX. Book Chapter , 143-157
Winn P, Wilson DIG & Redgrave P (2009) Subcortical Connections of the Basal Ganglia. In Steiner H & Tseng K-Y (eds) Handbook of Basal Ganglia Structure and Function: A Decade of Progress. Book Chapter , 397-408
Boschen SL, Wietzikoski EC, Winn P, Da Cunha C (2011) The role of nucleus accumbens and dorsolateral striatal D2 receptors in active avoidance conditioning. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory , In Press
Gut NK & Winn P (2011) The role of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in motor disorders. In Lane EL & Dunnett SB (eds) Contemporary animal models of movement disorders. Book Chapter , In Press
Bortolanza M, Wietzikoski EC, Boschen SL, Dombrowski PA, Latimer M, Maclaren DA, Winn P, Da Cunha C.
(2010) Functional disconnection of the substantia nigra pars compacta from the pedunculopontine nucleus impairs learning of a conditioned avoidance task. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory94, 229-239
Wilson DI, MacLaren DA, Winn P.
(2009) Bar pressing for food: differential consequences of lesions to the anterior versus posterior pedunculopontine. European Journal of Neuroscience30, 504-513 [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06836.x ]
Wilson DIG, MacLaren DAA & Winn P (2009) On the relationships between the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, corticostriatal architecture and the medial reticular formation. In H Groenewegen et al (Eds) The Basal Ganglia IX. Book Chapter , 143-157
Winn P, Wilson DIG & Redgrave P (2009) Subcortical Connections of the Basal Ganglia. In Steiner H & Tseng K-Y (eds) Handbook of Basal Ganglia Structure and Function: A Decade of Progress. Book Chapter , 397-408
Alderson HL, Latimer MP, Winn P.
(2008) A functional dissociation of the anterior and posterior pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus: excitotoxic lesions have differential effects on locomotion and the response to nicotine. Brain Structure and Function213, 247-253 [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-008-0174-4]
Mena-Segovia J, Winn P, Bolam JP (2008) Cholinergic modulation of midbrain dopaminergic systems. Brain Research Reviews58, 265-271 [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresrev.2008.02.003] Published (review)
Rostron CL, Farquhar MJ, Latimer MP, Winn P.
(2008) The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis: do both have a role in sustained attention?. BMC Neuroscience30, 16 [DOI: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/9]
Winn P.
(2008) Experimental studies of pedunculopontine functions: are they motor, sensory or integrative?. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders14, 194-198 [DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2008.04.030 ] Published (review)
