GL BROWN PRIZE LECTURE: Beyond pretty pictures: Human neuroimaging as a tool for physiology in the 21st Century
Modern neuroimaging has advanced our understanding of the human brain in a way that would have been unthinkable even 30 years ago. fMRI in particular has captured the public imagination, but is certainly not the only way we can use imaging to study human neurophysiology. Here I will discuss recent work using multimodal human neuroimaging combined with non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to study the physiological processes occurring in the brain as we learn, using human motor learning as an exemplar.

I will discuss how techniques such as MR Spectroscopy can reveal neurochemical changes associated with learning, how modern electrophysiology can determine important neural dynamics, and how we can link these levels of explanation to develop potential new therapeutic tools for motor recovery after brain injuries such as stroke. Finally, I will reflect on to what extent we can relate our findings with those from animal models, and what challenges remain to be overcome.
Date: 22 November 2024, 13:00 (Friday, 6th week, Michaelmas 2024)
Venue: Sherrington Building, off Parks Road OX1 3PT
Venue Details: Blakemore Lecture Theatre
Speaker: Professor Charlotte Stagg (Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford)
Organising department: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)
Organisers: Dr Mootaz Salman (DPAG, University of Oxford), Associate Professor Samira Lakhal-Littleton (DPAG, University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: events@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor David Paterson (DPAG, University of Oxford)
Part of: DPAG Head of Department Seminar Series
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Hannah Simm