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School of Neuroscience

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

Brain circuits

A critical problem in neuroscience is to understand how neurons wire up correctly to form functional circuits in the brain and how these link to behaviour. New technological and molecular advances have begun to open windows into the inner workings of the developing brain and we are now seeing the first glimpses of how circuits come together to orchestrate coherent responses to the outside world. In this programme we exploit the latest in molecular, optogenetic, electophysiological and live-imagine tools to study circuit formation and brain plasticity.

Our key questions:

What is the molecular code behind the wiring diagram of the developing brain?
What are the modulatory signals that shape connectivity and the emergence of network function?
How do we build a coherent picture of how functional circuits in the brain come together during development to control behaviour?

Brain circuits is a key research theme of the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, which brings together world-leading researchers across King's College London.

Click people profiles to discover their research:

Professor Oscar Marín

Professor of Neuroscience
Professor Eugene Makeyev

Professor of Molecular Biosciences
Dr QueeLim Ch'ng

Reader in Systems Biology and Neuroscience
Professor Benedikt Berninger

Professor of Developmental Neurobiology
Professor Laura Andreae

Professor of Developmental Neuroscience
Professor Clemens Kiecker

Professor of Neuroscience Education
Professor Matthew Grubb

Professor of Neuroscience
Dr Alessio Delogu

Reader in Developmental Neurobiology
Professor Uwe Drescher

Professor for Molecular Neuroscience
Dr Sam Cooke

Senior Lecturer in Neural Plasticity
Professor Juan Burrone

Professor of Developmental Neurophysiology
Professor Robert Hindges

Professor of Developmental Neurobiology
Dr Gerald Finnerty

Senior Lecturer
Professor Beatriz Rico

Professor of Developmental Neurobiology
Professor Kei Cho

Professor of Neuroscience
Dr Andrea Serio

Reader in Neural Tissue Engineering
Professor Benjamin Blencowe

Professor of RNA Biology and Genomics
Dr Richard Rosch

Senior Academic Fellow in AI+ and Senior Clinical Lecturer

Early life and development

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Joint R&D Office drop in

Joint R&D Office Wednesday Walk-In

04 November 2026

Drop in and discuss your questions with the Joint R&D Office on the first Wednesday of every month.

18 Nov

Fran Denk Inaugural

Professor Franziska Denk - Inaugural Lecture

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Join us in celebrating Professor Denk's inaugural lecture on 'The origins of pain'