Research groups
Colleges
Rogier Mars
BBSRC David Phillips Fellow
- Principal Investigator
I explore what it is that makes brains the way they are. Primates, and especially humans, have exceptionally large brains for their body size. Between primates, brains differ in size and in their internal organization. Why is this? I believe that each brain is an adaptation to the particular environment its owner lives in. I try to understand differences between brains as the result of deviations from ancestral brains that arose to deal with challenges in the environment.
To study these question my group and I use two complementary approaches. First, we study how the human brain is organised and works using a range of non-invasive brain imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Second, we use magnetic resonance imaging to compare the organizion of different brains. We scan the brains from deceased animals to study the size, location, and connections of different brain regions and compare these between species.
Recent publications
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Mapping Human Laryngeal Motor Cortex during Vocalization.
Journal article
Eichert N. et al, (2020), Cereb Cortex, 30, 6254 - 6269
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Neural mechanisms of predicting individual preferences based on group membership.
Journal article
Vijayakumar S. et al, (2020), Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci
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Infants tailor their attention to maximize learning.
Journal article
Poli F. et al, (2020), Sci Adv, 6
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XTRACT - Standardised protocols for automated tractography in the human and macaque brain.
Journal article
Warrington S. et al, (2020), Neuroimage, 217
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Longitudinal connections and the organization of the temporal cortex in macaques, great apes, and humans.
Journal article
Roumazeilles L. et al, (2020), PLoS Biol, 18