Blog | Sainsbury Wellcome Centre

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.

SWC Exterior

Defining internal tuning-curves for neuronal codes of space

31 January 2019

Understanding sensorimotor circuits

Finding order in the immense complexity of neuronal networks in the brain is one of the central challenges of neuroscience. James Fitzgerald outlines how his lab is tackling this problem.

25 January 2019

André Marques-Smith awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship

The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre is pleased to announce that André Marques-Smith has been awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship.

Professor Daniel Dennett

Tackling the hard questions of neuroscience

Searching for sleep neurons

The question of why we sleep has puzzled people for many years. In the process of studying how we sleep and what controls sleep, Professor Yang Dan is beginning to shed light on what function sleep really serves. In the following interview Professor Dan outlines her search for sleep neurons.

19 December 2018

Sexual dimorphism in VMHvl

Neural mechanisms of aggression

5 December 2018