Blog

SWC Emerging Neuroscientists Seminar Series winners, Drs Arjun Bharioke and Martin Munz, share their work on the use of anaesthetics as a powerful toolkit for studying cortical circuit function and formation, their key findings so far and the next pieces of the puzzle their research will explore.

In a recent SWC Virtual Seminar, Dr Savio Chan discussed how two cell types in the external globus pallidus of the basal ganglia can promote or inhibit certain movements in mice. In this Q&A, he explains how cellular complexity in this brain region leads to certain behaviours.

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been washing our hands more than ever. While the process involves several steps, we simply do it without much thought. But how does our nervous system allow us to carry out such behavioural sequences, while also allowing flexibility? In this Q&A, Dr Kevin Cury discusses what constitutes a behavioural sequence, what prompted him to study them and his key observations so far.

When we are walking to a given location, but then are told to navigate to a new location, we can flexibly change our course and redirect our steps. How does the brain allow us to do this? In the second of this year’s Emerging Neuroscientists Seminar Series, Dr. Shin Kira shared his work on flexible decision-making during navigation.

In a recent SWC Virtual Seminar, Dr Cristopher Niell highlighted the need for studying ethologically relevant goal-directed behaviours in light of his research. In this Q&A, he expands on the use of prey capture in mice, as well as the octopus as a promising model organism, to answer such questions.