Ravi Allada, M.D., Professor of Neurobiology at Northwestern University, is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms and their links to various clinical disorders, including insomnia, depression and even…
Insight from Dr. Penzes’ research will help scientists understand how connections in brain cells are disrupted in autism, and may uncover a viable therapeutic target that has real potential as…
Dr. Lazarov’s investigation of neurogenesis in adult stem cells will lead to greater understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. When Dr. Orly Lazarov sought to understand certain cellular processes associated with the…
These studies will determine how the activity of the brain reward area called “ventral tegmental area” is modulated by specific inputs from another brain reward area called “lateral habenula”. To…
When a food is eaten to satiety, the pleasantness of its smell and taste are reduced. The important consequence of this effect, referred to as “sensory-specific satiety,” is to diminish…
Dr. Jamie Roitman, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), is interested in understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie decision-making. Failure to engage in appropriate…
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases caused by the generation of a misfolded form of the prion protein (PrP). Genetic mutations within the PrP gene act to destabilize PrP, causing it…
Neuromodulatory inputs to the neocortex play a central role in regulating the behavioral state of an animal. The neuromodulator acetylcholine (ACh), in particular, is essential for arousal and attention. Cholinergic…
The cerebellum controls movement. When neural signals in the cerebellum are disrupted, people and other animals cannot precisely control their muscles and become uncoordinated, giving rise to ataxia and dystonia,…
The neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a fatal paralytic disorder characterized by cell death of corticospinal neurons. Early in the disease process cortical circuits are…
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