Of mice and milkshakes: Journey to brain discovery 

Touchscreen technology using mice can help researchers decode learning centres of the brain. (Submitted photo) How does memory work? And what exactly happens in the brain when memory and learning start to unravel? These are puzzles Tim Bussey, Western Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, has been trying to solve in a career of ground-breaking research that uses rodents, rewards and non-invasive touchscreen technology to understand brain circuitry in humans. Bussey has made deciphering cognitive diseases a matter of mice and milkshakes. Now Bussey - professor of physiology and pharmacology at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and director of the BrainsCAN Rodent Cognition Research and Innovation Core - has been named a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). Joining Bussey as new Fellows in CAHS are Brain & Mind Institute researcher Ingrid Johnsrude and pregnancy-and-exercise expert Michelle Mottola. CAHS brings together Canada's top-ranked health and biomedical scientists and scholars to make a positive impact on the urgent health concerns of Canadians. Fellows, who are drawn from all disciplines across Canada's universities, health care and research institutes, evaluate complex health challenges and recommend strategic solutions.