You are in: Home » CBU Research Panel » More information about the Panel
Volunteering at the CBU
Research at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit is dependent on the good will of members of the public who volunteer to take part in our studies of attention, emotion, memory and language. We have over a thousand volunteers on our panel, ranging in age from 16 to 80+, so that researchers at the unit can test theories about the functioning of the mind and brain, in healthy adults and following brain injury or disease. As volunteers move away from Cambridge, or have less time to participate in studies, we are always in need of new members for the volunteer panel. We would be very grateful if you could complete the form below so that we can invite you to participate in our research.
Typical experiments that are run at the unit in Chaucer Road involve simple, computer-based tests of vision, hearing, memory or language. With your help, our researchers gain insights into core human abilities, and acquire data from healthy individuals that can be compared with individuals who have sustained brain injuries. In addition, a number of researchers at the unit use functional brain imaging to investigate the brain systems involved in attention, emotion, memory and language. There are three main techniques that we use to record brain responses, all of which are completely safe and non-invasive, they involve no needles, drugs, radiation or x-rays. These techniques are fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), MEG (Magnetoencepholography),and EEG (Electroencepholography). You can click on each name to learn more about these brain imaging techniques, or you can read more about the research conducted at the unit in panel news.
It is up to you to decide what sorts of experiments you would like to participate in and how often you would like to volunteer. In all cases, you will be generously rewarded for your time (ordinarily £6 per hour or £10 per hour for brain imaging studies) and will receive a contribution to your travel expenses. If you participate in an fMRI study we will also send you a picture of your brain.
We work in Chaucer Road, a short walk south of the city centre. You can look at map or get directions to Chaucer Road. Most of our experiments take place at Chaucer Road, though some brain imaging studies take place at the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, at Addenbrookes hospital (on this map). The only skill we require from you is the ability to read and write well in English. Anyone over 16 is welcome to take part; we need both men and women, particularly people who can attend between 9am and 6pm.
If you are interested in taking part in our studies, you can apply to join the panel here.