Rebekah C. Evans, Ph.D., Georgetown University
Exercise is important for the health of the body and the mind. Exercise promotes learning and reduces symptoms of brain-related diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is not known how exercise changes the brain to enhance function. Previous studies h...
William J. Giardino, Ph.D. Stanford University
This research project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of a specific type of brain cell called neuropeptide neurons within a region of the brain’s amygdala network called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Dr. Giardino’s proposal pursues the possibility that thes...
Howard Gritton, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Our world is composed of a rich mixture of sounds. We often process sounds including speech in the presence of many other competing auditory stimuli (e.g., voices in a crowded room, music, etc.). The problem of understanding speech in these difficult conditions is referred to as the “cockta...
Nora Kory, Ph.D., Harvard University
The human brain requires significant energy to function. Despite accounting for only 2% of our body weight, the brain consumes a substantial 20% of the body’s energy, relying on a continuous supply of fuel from the bloodstream. Glucose serves as the brain’s primary energy source, unde...
Hojoon Lee, Ph.D., Northwestern University
How does the body tell the brain that something is just not right? Nausea is an unpleasant sensation that has likely evolved as a general defense mechanism to signal and remedy physiological distress. Nausea (often accompanied by dizziness, vomiting, and cold sweats) has been recognized since cla...
Huaijin Ken Leon Loh, Ph.D., Yale University
Our brain regulates physiologic processes such as blood pressure and heart rate by using the autonomic
nervous system to deliver commands to the body’s organs. Although we know a lot about the neural
pathways travelled from the brain to organs in the body, our understanding of the molecular...
Eirene Markenscoff-Papadimitriou, Ph.D., Cornell University
Autism affects more than 2% of 8-year-olds in the United States, and we do not understand what the
causes are. Many individuals with autism have a mutation in their DNA that affects a gene called
SUV420H1. This gene controls how DNA is packaged within the nucleus of the cell. However, this gene&r...
Bridget Ostrem, M.D., Ph.D. University of California San Francisco
Premature birth, defined as birth before 37 weeks of completed gestation, is associated with many
medical complications. Preterm white matter injury is the most common cause of brain injury in
premature infants, affecting approximately 500,000 babies worldwide each year. This condition has no
cur...
Benjamin Scholl, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania
Synapses are an elementary until of brain circuits. Synapses allow neurons to communicate to one
another and for information to be processed by circuits. In many neurodevelopmental disorders, such as
autism spectrum disorder and Fragile X Syndrome, synapses are altered. However, it is unclear how...
Natale R. Sciolino, Ph.D. University of Connecticut
Neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) that release the neuromodulator norepinephrine can alter the
brain’s response to sensory information, but their impact on taste has never been explored. The
overarching goal of Dr. Sciolino’s research is to understand the influence of LC neurons on ...
