Archives: Successes

Like a tiny seed that grows into a tree, a small BRF Fay/Frank Seed Grant can be the start of much bigger things for researchers and their colleagues. A Seed grant can help a researcher tap into additional funding. It can help a lab grow into using new techniques and tackling new challenges. And,...

Nitric oxide is one of the brain’s most important chemical messengers. Too little of the chemical shuts down communication between parts of the brain, but too much nitric oxide kills nerve cells and contributes to the brain degeneration seen in diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parki...

In 2002, Dr. Nicholas Hatsopoulos, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at The University of Chicago, was awarded his first BRF Seed Grant for $25,000. His lab set out to understand the basics behind how neurons in the motor cortex controlled reaching movement. In 2008, his project expand...

Parents of teenagers will find Dr. Tseng’s research results especially noteworthy. They concluded that repeated cannabinoid use before 16-17 years of age may be detrimental to the adolescent brain.

Tremors, slowed movement, a shuffling walk, impaired balance. These are some of the characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a disabling condition that progressively diminishes a person’s motor control.

Ten years ago, Beata Chertok, Ph.D., imagined she could find a way to treat brain tumors without surgery. It all started when she read a letter. The letter was written by a mother after her 18-year-old son’s sixth surgery for brain cancer. Each procedure had each left the boy more incapacit...

Subnormal levels of a protein called progranulin may cause microglia to attack, rather than protect cells responsible for brain function. Could faulty genes be reprogrammed to override mutations that cause this problem?

Human geneticists have been trying for years to identify genes responsible for OCD. Now they have. With a 2013 BRF seed grant, Stephanie C. Dulawa, Ph.D., has led research that may reveal how the top two genes linked to OCD contribute to its development.