Blog | Sainsbury Wellcome Centre

Journeys in Neuroscience Blog Banner

Embarking on a PhD in systems neuroscience

Shanice Bailey, PhD student in the Isogai Lab at SWC, shares her journey in science so far, her experience in the Black In Neuro community and what inspired her to embark on a PhD in systems neuroscience.

16 September 2021

ENSS Winners - Blog Banner

Emerging Neuroscientists Seminar Series 2021 winners announced

We are delighted to announce the winners of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre 2021 Emerging Neuroscientists Seminar Series (ENSS).

2 September 2021

Pepper, courgette, and tomato in recycling bin planters at SWC courtyard

Inquisitive minds seek to improve sustainability at SWC

Couple of weeks shy of the one-year mark of lockdown, a group of staff and researchers at SWC came together to optimise management of existing operations with the goal of improving sustainability in research output. Less than six months later, the team was awarded a gold LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) certificate by UCL.

Thought bubble cartoon with text overlaid "SWC Speaker Series"

Extracting rational thoughts from behaviour

How do we measure a thought? In cognitive neuroscience, researchers aim to relate neural activity to thoughts, which are notoriously difficult to measure. In his recent SWC Seminar, Dr Pitkow outlined how he uses a new scientific tool to learn an agent’s internal model and reward function by maximising the likelihood of its measured sensory observations and actions. In the following Q&A, Dr Pitkow explains how this tool extracts rational and interpretable thoughts of the agent from its behaviour.

Photo of windshield of car on a rainy day on the highway with text overlaid "SWC Speaker Series"

Perceptual decision-making in Parkinson’s

How does the brain achieve the combination of past experience and sensory information? And what can we learn about the changes to this process in people with Parkinson’s? Dr Michele Basso recently gave a SWC Virtual Seminar where she outlined her research on these areas, and in the following Q&A she explains more.

Photo of autumnal boreal forest with text overlaid "SWC Speaker Series"

How important is cell type in decision-making?

In a recent SWC Virtual Seminar, Dr Anne Churchland shared her work exploring excitatory cell class during decision-making in mice. In this Q&A she highlights how insights from developmental biology led her to appreciate the significance of diversity in excitatory neurons.

Bird of prey swooping down on mouse escaping (Image credit: Julia Kuhl)

Navigating to safety by memorising subgoals

Researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre investigated the behavioural strategies of mice faced with the challenge of navigating to a shelter in response to threat when their direct path is blocked.

Illustration of brains and two rodents with text overlaid "SWC Speaker Series"

Uncovering internal representations in the hypothalamus

Dr Ann Kennedy recently gave a SWC Virtual Seminar on her postdoctoral work on a part of the brain thought to be involved in the flexibility of naturalistic survival behaviours: the interconnected nuclei of the extended amygdala and hypothalamus. In the following Q&A, she shares her research on hypothalamic representations of internal state and behaviour.

Sand timer and clock with "SWC Speaker Series" overlaid

How does the brain perceive time to enable cognition?

Every day we think, apply rules and plan ahead, but how does the brain perceive time to allow us to perform these cognitive functions? SWC Seminar Speaker, Dr Joe Paton, explains how his research may help us understand the way basal ganglia circuits contribute to aspects of decision-making, action selection and motor control.

Journeys in Neuroscience

What is a neuroscience PhD really like?

Steve Lenzi, the first ever SWC student to be awarded their PhD, shares his journey in science so far and some of the highlights during his time as a PhD student in the Margrie Lab at SWC.

Single slices of 3 brain images showing detected cells

Using deep learning to aid 3D cell detection in whole brain microscopy images

Researchers in the Margrie lab at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre have developed an algorithm that can accurately detect cells in whole mouse brain images in a mere fraction of the time it takes to accomplish manually.

Zebrafish brain with SWC Speaker Series text banner

How do astrocytes in the brain tell the body when to give up?

Knowing when to give up is crucial for survival. But how does the brain enable the body to switch behaviours when an action isn’t achieving its goal? In his recent SWC Virtual Seminar, Dr Mu outlined his research showing the importance of a type of cell in the brain called astrocytes.