Name: Laura Sancho
Hometown: Madrid, Spain
Hobbies: Running, cooking, yoga, hiking, going to the beach
What do you study? I study how cells in the brain “talk” to each other using electrical signals. I study brain cells in mice and use a super fancy microscope to look at the cells’ activity and see how the mouse’s experience changes the way neurons talk to each other.
Why is it important? Humans and other animals learn from their experiences and it’s important to understand how those experiences are translated into lasting changes in our brains. It’s the basis for all the learning that we ever do in our lives, and using mice is a great way to study this. When brain cells stop talking to each other properly, mice and people get sick, so it’s really important to understand how cells normally communicate.
What do you like about being a scientist? I love asking questions and having to find out the answers for myself. I’m always doing something new and learning from it. As a scientist, it’s your job to be curious about the natural world and I couldn’t think of a better job!
This is a picture I took of a brain cell, at the place where different brain cells are “talking” to it.
