Blog | Sainsbury Wellcome Centre

Winners of the 2019 Emerging Neuroscientists Seminar Series Announced

The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre invites four early career neuroscientists to present exciting discoveries about the neural underpinnings of social behaviour, learning of novel skills and actions, and the effects of stress on brain function

2 September 2019

Neuroscience lecture

Learning rapidly from limited experience

Free will: perspectives from neuroscience

The question of whether we have free will has plagued philosophers for centuries. Recognising that neuronal activity lies at the root of all cognitive function, are we fully in control of our own actions, or is free will just an illusion? To seek answers to these questions, I spoke with leading neuroscientists and asked them to share their personal views.

Cartoon of neuroscientists headshots

21 recommended brain hacks from leading neuroscientists

Diversity of dopamine neurons

Dopamine neurons were traditionally thought to be activated by reward, but recent research has found that some are only activated by non-rewarding stimuli such as punishment or novelty. Professor Naoshige Uchida explains his lab’s research into the diversities of dopamine neurons and how the existence of multiple learning systems could be an adaptive strategy.

Students at computer illustration

How does the brain change during adolescence?

Understanding the preparatory activity of volitional movement

Every day we make thousands of specific movements that we have never made before. Our brain must coordinate these volitional movements ‘on the fly’ and this requires preparatory activity. Dr Nuo Li explains how his lab is trying to understand the preparatory activity of volitional movement.

Neural representations of self-motion

Dr. Kathleen Cullen explains her laboratory’s research addressing the question of how the brain computes accurate estimates of our self-motion relative to the world.

Sketched equations on wall with questionmarks

5 common myths about neuroscience

Discovering how the brain gives rise to behaviour

How does the brain allow us to think, feel, see, smell, hear, laugh and love? By bringing together world-leading experimental and computational neuroscientists, the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre’s mission is to explain how activity in brain circuits gives rise to thoughts, sensations, memories and actions.

Model brains

13 fascinating facts about the brain from leading neuroscientists

Leading neuroscientists from around the world share their favourite neuroscience facts for Brain Awareness Week.

Vision behind our new website

We have launched a new website showcasing our cutting-edge neuroscience research and world-class facilities. Communications Manager, April Cashin-Garbutt, outlines the reasoning behind the redesign, what’s new and plans for the future.