American neuroscientist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William E. Skaggs was an American neuroscientist. He is noted for his work on the functioning of the hippocampus.
William E. Skaggs | |
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| Alma mater | University of Arizona |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | neurophysiology, behavioral neuroscience, computational neuroscience |
| Institutions | University of California, Davis |
| Thesis | Relations between the theta rhythm and activity patterns of hippocampal neurons (1995) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bruce McNaughton |
| Other academic advisors | Carol A. Barnes |
Skaggs obtained his PhD in 1995 under the direction of Bruce McNaughton at the University of Arizona.[1]
Skaggs was a faculty member at the University of California, Davis, where he conducted research on neurophysiology in primates, often using computational neuroscience.[2] He was noted particularly for his elucidation of the role of theta waves in the function of the hippocampus, via their role in phase precession and firing replay.[2] This work led to a greater understanding of memory, learning, and navigation through space.[3]
He was also a science writer who helped popularize scientific concepts for a general audience.[3] In this role, he was an editor at Wikipedia, under the name Looie496.[3]
A special issue of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience was dedicated to Skaggs in 2020, noting that he had died from a heart attack.[4]
Google Scholar lists more than 40 publications that, together, have been cited over 10,000 times (three of them over 1000 times each), giving Skaggs an h-index of 26.[5] His most-cited papers are:[5]
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