Neuroscience | Penn Today

Antarctic study shows isolation, monotony may change the human brain

Alexander Stahn of the Perelman School of Medicine led a study that found a volume decrease in the hippocampi of explorers who spent 14 months at a research station in Antarctica. “It was an average of about 7%, which is really big in terms of brain changes,” he said.

A figure stands at the entrance of a large human-scale maze, indicating memory and spatial navigation

Memory recall and spatial navigation elicit similar electrical activity in brain

Penn neuroscientists show for the first time that low-frequency oscillations called theta waves appear in both cases, a finding that could eventually help diminish memory loss.

Two people standing in a building entryway. Windows are on their left, a yellow wall with a portrait are on their right. They're both looking into the camera and smiling.

How does opioid exposure affect brain development in young children?

That’s the question Allyson Mackey and Dylan Tisdall hope to answer, through a new grant from an NIH initiative focused on addiction research.

The science of sensations

To confront the ills of the opioid epidemic, scientists must develop a fundamental understanding of the biology of pain. Biologist Ishmail Abdus-Saboor’s work is setting the stage for screening alternative drugs and uncovering new pathways that an opioid-alternative could target.

Women are more than twice as likely as men to suffer from PTSD. Studies are underway to find out why

Edna Foa of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about her research on the effects of estrogen on fear extinction, a process of “unlearning” fear related to recovery from PTSD.

Mounting brain organoid research reignites ethical debate

Penn neuroscientists call for an ethical framework grounded in scientific principles for transplanting human “mini-brains” into animals as the field evolves.

How neuroscience could explain the rise of addictions, heart disease, and diabetes in 21st century America

Peter Sterling of the Perelman School of Medicine wrote about the neuroscience behind modern maladies like addiction: “Lacking small pulses of dopamine, we grow uncomfortable and seek relief with substances that act powerfully on the reward circuit to release dopamine in great surges.”

Penn, Drexel get $22 million to study Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, other dementias

Penn’s Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research has been awarded funding to explore a variety of dementias. The center is led by Virginia Man-Yee Lee and John Q. Trojanowski and the research will be conducted by Alice Chen-Plotkin and Murray Grossman, all of the Perelman School of Medicine.

an abstract depiction of a brain in multi-colors

A model for brain activity during brain stimulation therapy

Combined with data from other stimulation experiments , these models could help researchers determine the specific patterns of brain activity to target for improving memory.

from top left to bottom right, scene from the film The Matrix with Neo and Morpheus plugged into machines while laying back in chairs; Professor X wearing Cerebro, a person wearing a cap covered in electrodes while watching a computer screen with dots, and a person wearing glasses leaning back in a chair wearing a cap with electrodes

Brain-machine interfaces: Villainous gadgets or tools for next-gen superheroes?

A Q&A with neuroscientist Konrad Kording on how connections between minds and machines are portrayed in popular culture, and what the future holds for this reality-defying technology.

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