The Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit is a branch of the
UK Medical Research Council, based in
Cambridge,
England. The CBSU is a centre for
cognitive neuroscience, with a mission to improve human health by understanding and enhancing cognition and behaviour in health, disease and disorder. It is one of the largest and most long-lasting contributors to the development of psychological
theory and practice.
The CBSU has its own
magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...
(MRI, 3T) scanner on-site, as well as a 306-channel
magnetoencephalography (MEG) system and a 128-channel
electroencephalography
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex ...
(EEG) laboratory.
The CBSU has close links to
clinical neuroscience research in the
University of Cambridge Medical School
The School of Clinical Medicine is the medical school of the University of Cambridge in England. According to the QS World University Rankings 2020, it ranks as the 3rd best medical school in the world. The school is located alongside Addenbroo ...
. Over 140 scientists, students, and support staff work in research areas such as Memory, Attention, Emotion, Speech and Language, Development and Aging, Computational Modelling and Neuroscience Methods. With dedicated facilities available on site, the Unit has particular strengths in the application of
neuroimaging techniques in the context of well-developed neuro-cognitive theory.
History
The unit was established in 1944 as the MRC Applied Psychology Unit.
In June 2001, the
History of Modern Biomedicine Research Group held a
witness seminar A witness seminar is a method of collecting oral history material, whereby a number of people connected to an event or topic meet to share recollections of their involvement. The results may be recorded or videoed and an edited transcript published. ...
to gather information on the unit's history.
On 1 July 2017, the CBU was merged with the University of Cambridge. Coming under the Clinical School, the unit is still funded by the British government through
Research Councils UK but is managed and maintained by Cambridge University.
List of directors
*
Kenneth Craik, 1944–1945
*
Frederic Bartlett, 1945–1951
*
Norman Mackworth, 1951–1958
*
Donald Broadbent, 1958–1974
*
Alan Baddeley, 1974–1997
*
William Marslen-Wilson
Professor William D. Marslen-Wilson FBA, FAE (born 1945) is a neuroscientist.
Marslen-Wilson obtained his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973. He subsequently worked as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago.
...
, 1997–2010
*
Susan Gathercole
Susan Elizabeth Gathercole was the Unit Director at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. from 2011 until 2018. She is a research psychologist, best known for her studies into working memory deficits in children. She has worked extensively w ...
, 2011–2018
* Matthew Lambon Ralph, 2018–
References
External links
MRC CBU Home Page
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Cognitive neuroscience
Neuroscience research centres in the United Kingdom
Neuroimaging
Cognitive science research institutes
Cognitive psychology
Medical research institutes in the United Kingdom
Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)
Research institutes in Cambridge
Research institutes established in 1944
1944 establishments in the United Kingdom
Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, MRC