On Friday 18th May 2018, the research groups led by Prof Simon Butt and Dr Michael Kohl took part in “Illuminating Movement”, a late night event organised by the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Their stall, “A Mind to Move”, illustrated how the brain generates movements and how the underlying mechanism is conserved across species.
Visitors compared the electrical activity generated by their own muscles with that generated by a cockroach leg connected to stimulating electrodes, highlighting differences and similarities. The researchers also showed high-resolution videos of the living brain, revealing how information about body movement is present in cortical areas not directly linked to locomotion.
The event attracted hundreds of visitors of all ages, marking another success for the Neuroscience community involved in Public Engagement!