Our ability to understand speech, especially in noisy environments, is significantly improved by cross-modal cues such as lip reading and subtitles.  How the brain creates these predictions, and reconciled them against what was actually heard is highly controversial. In this study led by scientists and neurologists from the MRC CBU, patients with a rare speech […]

You can now pre-register your interest to attend the Cognitive Neuroscience Skills Training In Cambridge (COGNESTIC) at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge on 18-29 September 2023. The COGNESTIC summer school will provide researchers with training in state-of-the-art methods for open neuroimaging analysis and related methods. We will use a variety of […]

We are pleased to announce the workshop for Structural Equation Modelling for Longitudinal Data will take place on 27 and 28 March 2023, at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. The workshop will be tutored by Ethan McCormick from the University of Leiden. The workshop is free to attend but registration is required. To […]

Intraoperative mapping during awake neurosurgeries guides the resection of brain tumors to minimize the loss of healthy tissue and preserve brain function. This is usually done through “zapping brains” i.e. sending a weak electrical current, and thereby temporarily switching off certain areas. If patients stop being able to do basic things, such as counting or […]

Verbal communication in noisy environments is challenging, especially for hearing-impaired individuals. Seeing facial movements of communication partners improves speech perception when auditory signals are degraded or absent. The neural mechanisms supporting lip-reading or audio-visual benefit are not fully understood. In this study Máté Aller, Heidi Solberg Økland, Lucy J. MacGregor, Helen Blank, and Matthew H. […]

Decades of neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence have implicated the lateral parietal cortex (LPC) in a myriad of cognitive domains, generating numerous influential theoretical models. However, these theories fail to explain why distinct cognitive activities appear to implicate common neural regions. Scientists from the MRC CBU discuss a unifying model in which the angular gyrus forms […]

What role does maternal mental health play in the association between socioeconomic status and child development, and are there sensitive periods where its role is particularly influential?   In this study, Tess Smith, Rogier Kievit, and Duncan Astle show better maternal mental health in the first year of life weakens negative associations between socioeconomic status, […]

Congratulations to MRC CBU’s Sofia Carozza, who has been shortlisted for the 2021 MRC Max Perutz Science Writing Award. Sofia’s article is titled ‘Shining a light on childhood adversity’ The award aims to encourage and recognise outstanding written communication by MRC PhD students. The competition, which launched in May 2021, challenged students to explain why their […]