News
Sep 17, 2024
Q&A: Ethical decision-making around neurotechnology treatments
Laura Cabrera, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics, has received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to research and develop a patient-centered decision aid to help guide patients, providers, and caregivers navigating their options.
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Aug 23, 2024
New CMIND director named
Janine Kwapis, the Paul Berg Early Career Professor in the Biological Sciences at Penn State, has been appointed director of the University's Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders (CMIND), an interdisciplinary research unit within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
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Aug 26, 2024
Less sleep and later bedtime in childhood linked to future substance use
A good night’s sleep is essential for children’s health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study led by a team of Penn State researchers found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence.
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Aug 13, 2024
Rewriting the evolutionary history of critical components of the nervous system
A new study has rewritten the conventionally understood evolutionary history of certain proteins critical for electrical signaling in the nervous system. The study, led by Penn State researchers, shows that the well-studied family of proteins — potassium ion channels in the Shaker family — were present in microscopic single cell organisms well before the common ancestor of all animals.
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Aug 09, 2024
Memory problems in old age linked to a key enzyme, study in mice finds
A team of researchers from Penn State has identified an enzyme that contributes to age-related impairments in memory updating. When blocked, older mice were better able to incorporate new information and performed similarly to their younger counterparts. The researchers said the findings may lead to the development of potential therapeutic targets for improving cognitive flexibility in old age.
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Jul 31, 2024
New high-resolution 3D maps show how the brain’s blood vessels changes with age
Healthy blood vessels matter for more than just heart health. Vascular well-being is critical for brain health and potentially in addressing age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer’s disease, according to new study led by Penn State researchers.
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Jul 22, 2024
Alternative understanding of brain leads to new treatments for stroke patients
Since the early 20th century, researchers believed that movements on the right and left sides of the body were controlled by the opposite hemisphere of the brain. However, Penn State researcher Robert Sainburg proposed the complimentary dominance hypothesis, which states that both sides of the brain have a role to play in control of both sides of the body.
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Jul 19, 2024
Penn State professor named to advisory board of National Smell and Taste Center
Penn State sensory expert John Hayes has been appointed to the external scientific advisory board of the newly established National Smell and Taste Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Jul 08, 2024
Potential new target for early treatment of Alzheimer's disease
A class of proteins that regulates cell repair and enhances cell growth-signaling systems could be a promising new target for the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.
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Jun 27, 2024
Self-assembling, highly conductive sensors could improve wearable devices
To advance soft robotics, skin-integrated electronics and biomedical devices, researchers at Penn State have developed a 3D-printed material that is soft and stretchable — traits needed for matching the properties of tissues and organs — and that self-assembles.
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