Professor Mike Colombo’s current research interests are in neural mechanisms of learning and memory, as well as comparative animal cognition.
Mike received his undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology and Psychology from the University of Colorado and his PhD from Rutgers University with a research emphasis on comparative animal cognition and neuroscience. Following his PhD, he was awarded an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship to study the neural mechanisms of visual processing in monkeys at Princeton University. He joined the University of Otago in 1992.
One series of studies conducted in his lab examines how neurons in the brain code information. Information in the brain is transmitted from one neuron to the next by bursts of electricity. Using standard electrophysiological techniques, he can “listen in” to these bursts of electricity. These bursts of electricity represent a language, and his research is designed to decipher that language. Using this technique, he has explored the neural basis of memory, reward, visual processing, and gambling.
A second series of studies examines what the hippocampus contributes to learning and memory. The prevailing view is that the hippocampus is important for high forms of memory and cognition. In contrast, his studies suggest a far simpler role for the hippocampus, one involved in either detecting contingencies or navigating to points in space.
Finally, a third series of studies examines the cognitive abilities of birds. The prevailing view is that primates stand apart from other animals such as birds in their mental abilities. Research in his lab has shown that if the task is designed properly, birds can show abilities on par with most primates.
Professor Colombo has authored over 50 journal articles and one book, and has received numerous awards for his teaching.
Find out more about Professor Colombo’s research.
Publications
Clark, W. J., Porter, B., & Colombo, M. (2019). Searching for face-category representation in the avian visual forebrain. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, 140. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00140
Phillips, H., McDowell, A., Mielby, B. S., Tucker, I. G., & Colombo, M. (2019). Aniracetam does not improve working memory in neurologically healthy pigeons. PLoS ONE, 14(4), e0215612. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215612
Clark, W., & Colombo, M. (2018). Face-selective neurons: Comparative perspectives. In J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of animal cognition and behaviour. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2053-1
Johnston, M., Clarkson, A. N., Gowing, E. K., Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2018). The effects of nidopallium caudolaterale inactivation on serial-order behaviour in pigeons (Columba livia). Journal of Neurophysiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1152/jn.00167.2018
Dykes, M., Klarer, A., Porter, B., Rose, J., & Colombo, M. (2018). Neurons in the pigeon nidopallium caudolaterale display value-related activity. Scientific Reports, 8, 5377. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23694-8
Authored Book - Research
Rovee-Collier, C., Hayne, H., & Colombo, M. (2000). The Development of Implicit and Explicit Memory. Pennsylvania, USA: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 292p.
Chapter in Book - Research
Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2017). Serial list learning. In J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of animal cognition and behavior. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1507-1
Colombo, M., & Johnston, M. (2017). Entopallium. In J. Vonk & J. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of animal cognition and behavior. (pp. 1-6). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1219-1
Scarf, D., Terrace, H. S., & Colombo, M. (2011). Planning abilities of monkeys. In R. M. Williams (Ed.), Monkeys: Biology, behavior and disorders. (pp. 137-150). New York: Nova.
Colombo, M., & Hayne, H. (2010). Episodic memory: Comparative and developmental issues. In M. S. Blumberg, J. H. Freeman & S. R. Robinson (Eds.), Oxford handbook of developmental behavioral neuroscience. (pp. 617-636). Oxford University Press.
Colombo, M., Gulya, M., & Rovee-Collier, C. (2006). The ontogeny of serial-order representation. In C. M. Fletcher-Flinn & G. M. Haberman (Eds.), Cognition and language: Perspectives from New Zealand. (pp. 191-206). Brisbane, Australia: Australian Academic Press.
Colombo, M., Gulya, M., & Rovee-Collier, C. (2006). The development of serial-order behaviour: Knowledge of ordinal position. In J. R. Marrow (Ed.), Focus on child psychology research. (pp. 43-58). New York: Nova Science.
Lock, A. J., & Colombo, M. W. (1996). Comparative studies of cognitive abilities. In A. J. Lock & C. Peters (Eds.), Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution. (pp. 596-643). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Other
Clark, W., & Colombo, M. (2018). Face-selective neurons: Comparative perspectives. In J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of animal cognition and behaviour. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_2053-1
Journal - Research Article
Clark, W. J., Porter, B., & Colombo, M. (2019). Searching for face-category representation in the avian visual forebrain. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, 140. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00140
Phillips, H., McDowell, A., Mielby, B. S., Tucker, I. G., & Colombo, M. (2019). Aniracetam does not improve working memory in neurologically healthy pigeons. PLoS ONE, 14(4), e0215612. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215612
Johnston, M., Clarkson, A. N., Gowing, E. K., Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2018). The effects of nidopallium caudolaterale inactivation on serial-order behaviour in pigeons (Columba livia). Journal of Neurophysiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1152/jn.00167.2018
Dykes, M., Klarer, A., Porter, B., Rose, J., & Colombo, M. (2018). Neurons in the pigeon nidopallium caudolaterale display value-related activity. Scientific Reports, 8, 5377. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23694-8
Scarf, D., Johnston, M., & Colombo, M. (2018). Pigeons (Columba livia) learn a four-item list by trial and error. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 132(3), 234-239. doi: 10.1037/com.0000124
Johnston, M., Anderson, C., & Colombo, M. (2017). Neural correlates of sample-coding and reward-coding in the delay activity of neurons in the entopallium and nidopallium caudolaterale of pigeons (Columba livia). Behavioural Brain Research, 317, 382-392. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.10.003
Johnston, M., Anderson, C., & Colombo, M. (2017). Pigeon NCL and NFL neuronal activity represents neural correlates of the sample. Behavioral Neuroscience, 131(3), 213-219. doi: 10.1037/bne0000198
Scarf, D., Corballis, M. C., Güntürkün, O., & Colombo, M. (2017). Do 'literate' pigeons (Columba livia) show mirror-word generalization? Animal Cognition, 20(5), 999-1002. doi: 10.1007/s10071-017-1116-4
Colombo, M., Klarer, A., Johnston, M., & Rose, J. (2017). Prospective processing: Behavioural and neural evidence. Japanese Journal of Animal Psychology, 67(2), 47-61. doi: 10.2502/janip.67.2.2
Kouwenhoven, M., & Colombo, M. (2016). The differential outcomes effect in pigeons (Columba livia): Is it truly anticipatory? PLoS ONE, 11(3), e0150510. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150510
Scarf, D., Boy, K., Uber Reinert, A., Devine, J., Güntürkün, O., & Colombo, M. (2016). Orthographic processing in pigeons (Columba livia). PNAS, 113(40), 11272-11276. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1607870113
Scarf, D., Stuart, M., Johnston, M., & Colombo, M. (2016). Visual response properties of neurons in four areas of the avian pallium. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 202(3), 235-245. doi: 10.1007/s00359-016-1071-6
Staniland, J., Colombo, M., & Scarf, D. (2015). The Generation Effect or simply generating an effect? Journal of Comparative Psychology, 129(4), 329-333. doi: 10.1037/a0039450
Scarf, D., Millar, J., Pow, N., & Colombo, M. (2014). Inhibition, the final frontier: The impact of hippocampal lesions on behavioral inhibition and spatial processing in pigeons. Behavioral Neuroscience, 128(1), 42-47. doi: 10.1037/a0035487
Scarf, D., Terrace, H., Colombo, M., & Magnuson, J. S. (2014). Eye movements reveal planning in humans: A comparison with Scarf and Colombo's (2009) monkeys. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 40(2), 178-184. doi: 10.1037/xan0000008
Koenen, C., Millar, J., & Colombo, M. (2013). How bad do you want it? Reward modulation in the avian nidopallium caudolaterale. Behavioral Neuroscience, 127(4), 544-554. doi: 10.1037/a0033551
Scarf, D., Gross, J., Colombo, M., & Hayne, H. (2013). To have and to hold: Episodic memory in 3- and 4-year-old children. Developmental Psychobiology, 55(2), 125-132. doi: 10.1002/dev.21004
Colombo, M., & Scarf, D. (2012). Neurophysiological studies of learning and memory in pigeons. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 7, 23-43. doi: 10.3819/ccbr.2012.7002
Scarf, D., Imuta, K., Colombo, M., & Hayne, H. (2012). Social evaluation or simple association? Simple associations may explain moral reasoning in infants. PLoS ONE, 7(8), e42698. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042698
Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2011). Knowledge of the ordinal position of list items in pigeons. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 37(4), 483-487. doi: 10.1037/a0023695
Scarf, D., Miles, K., Sloan, A., Goulter, N., Hegan, M., Seid-Fatemi, A., … Colombo, M. (2011). Brain cells in the avian 'prefrontal cortex' code for features of slot-machine-like gambling. PLoS ONE, 6(1), e14589. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014589
Scarf, D., Danly, E., Morgan, G., Colombo, M., & Terrace, H. S. (2011). Sequential planning in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Animal Cognition, 14(3), 317-324. doi: 10.1007/s10071-010-0365-2
Scarf, D., Hayne, H., & Colombo, M. (2011). Pigeons on par with primates in numerical competence. Science, 334(6063), 1664. doi: 10.1126/science.1213357
Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2010). Representation of serial order in pigeons (Columba livia). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 36(4), 423-429. doi: 10.1037/a0020926
Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2010). A positional coding mechanism in pigeons after learning multiple three-item lists. Animal Cognition, 13, 653-661. doi: 10.1007/s10071-010-0315-z
Browning, R., Overmier, J. B., & Colombo, M. (2010). Delay activity in avian prefrontal cortex — sample code or reward code? European Journal of Neuroscience, 33(4), 726-735. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07540.x
Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2010). The formation and execution of sequential plans in pigeons (Columba livia). Behavioural Processes, 83(2), 179-182. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2009.12.004
Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2009). Eye movements during list execution reveal no planning in monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 35(4), 587-592. doi: 10.1037/a0014020
Bingman, V. P., Gasser, B., & Colombo, M. (2008). Responses of pigeon (Columba livia) Wulst neurons during acquisition and reversal of a visual discrimination task. Behavioral Neuroscience, 122(5), 1139-1147. doi: 10.1037/a0012586
Scarf, D., & Colombo, M. (2008). Representation of serial order: A comparative analysis of humans, monkeys, and pigeons. Brain Research Bulletin, 76(3), 307-312. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.02.022
Milmine, M., Watanabe, A., & Colombo, M. (2008). Neural correlates of directed forgetting in the avian prefrontal cortex. Behavioral Neuroscience, 122(1), 199-209. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.122.1.199
Milmine, M., Rose, J., & Colombo, M. (2008). Sustained activation and executive control in the avian prefrontal cortex. Brain Research Bulletin, 76(3), 317-323. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.02.009
Richmond, J., Colombo, M., & Hayne, H. (2007). Interpreting visual preferences in the visual paired-comparison task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 33(5), 823-831.
Reese, E., & Colombo, M. (2005). Memory research in the southernmost psychology department. Cognitive Processing, 6, 266-271.
Colombo, M. (2005). The value of a comparative perspective: Theoretical comment on Pearce et al. (2005). Behavioral Neuroscience, 119(5), 1411-1414.
Rose, J., & Colombo, M. (2005). Neural correlates of executive control in the avian brain. PLoS Biology, 3(6), 1139-1146.
Kalenscher, T., Windmann, S., Diekamp, B., Rose, J., Güntürkün, O., & Colombo, M. (2005). Single units in the pigeon brain integrate reward amount and time-to-reward in an impulsive choice task. Current Biology, 15, 594-602.
Richmond, J., Sowerby, P., Colombo, M., & Hayne, H. (2004). The effect of familiarization time, retention interval, and context change on adults' performance in the visual paired-comparison task. Developmental Psychobiology, 44, 146-155.
Guyla, M., & Colombo, M. (2004). The ontogeny of serial-order behavior in humans (Homo sapiens): Representation of a list. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 118(1), 71-81.
Colombo, M., Cottle, A., & Frost, N. (2003). Degree of representation of the matching concept in pigeons (Columba livia). Journal of Comparative Psychology, 117(3), 246-256.
Colombo, M. (2003). Avian and mammalian hippocampus: No degrees of freedom in evolution of function. Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 26(5), 554-555.
