Neuroscience

Since its inception in 1999, the VBI has spearheaded interdisciplinary neuroscience research and education. Over the years, the VBI has grown into a vibrant, trans-institutional hub that spans the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, the College of Arts and Science, the School of Engineering, the Peabody College of education and human development, and other schools and departments throughout Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

Tennessee faces a persistent opioid epidemic, with an estimated 70,000 residents affected and the state ranking among the highest for prescription drug misuse. As the crisis evolves, researchers are increasingly turning to neuroscience to better understand the roots of addiction and develop safer, non-addictive pain treatments that could help prevent future overdose deaths. Read More

Researchers at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, a clinical stage biotech within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, have detailed the successful drug discovery of a Phase I Single Ascending Dose clinical trial of VU319, a drug for memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Read More

Researchers from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences have uncovered the first example of activity-dependent development of hypothalamic neural circuitry. Read More

Erin Calipari, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research and associate professor of pharmacology and molecular physiology and biophysics, has been recognized with the Society for Neuroscience’s 2024 Jacob P. Waletzky award. Read More

Randolph Blake, Centennial Professor of Psychology, won the 2024 Ken Nakayama Medal for Excellence in Vision Science Award for lasting, high-impact contributions to vision science. Isabel Gauthier, David K. Wilson Professor of Psychology, won the 2024 Davida Teller Award for exceptional scientific achievements, commitment to equity, and a strong history of mentoring. Read More

An $8.9 million grant from the NIH will establish the Vanderbilt AUD Research and Education Center, enhancing Vanderbilt University’s national leadership in neuroscience and addiction research. This initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, advance understanding and treatment of alcohol use disorder, and engage the public through education and outreach efforts. Read More

Throughout the brain’s cortex, neurons are arranged in six distinctive layers, which can be readily seen with a microscope. André Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, is senior author on a study published in Nature Neuroscience detailing that these layers also show distinct patterns of electrical activity, which are consistent over many brain regions and across several animal species, including humans. Read More

Erin Calipari works to understand how drugs like opioids and cocaine alter learning circuits and neurochemistry in one of the country's epicenters of substance use disorder and addiction. Read More

In just over two years, a Vanderbilt-Neumora collaboration has led to the Phase 1 clinical trial of a treatment for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, which affect 3.7 million adults in the United States. This is the third chemical compound discovered at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery to reach Phase 1 clinical trials.     Read More

Gabrielle Beck, a sophomore studying neuroscience and environmental policy, received an all-expense-paid invitation from National Climate Assessment program Director Allison Crimmins through her work as a Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education Fellow, where she has been able to take part in projects that deal directly with sustainability and climate change. Read More

Lisa Monteggia, Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, joined John Hoomes of the Nashville Opera for a discussion on the art and science behind the Nashville Opera’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. The discussion was part of TPAC’s InsideOut series, which celebrated 20 years of partnership with Vanderbilt this year. Read More

Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Associate Director Erin Calipari, with funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will investigate what happens in the brain that makes individuals return to drinking after periods of abstinence. Read More

Neuroscientist Mark Wallace is spearheading a research consortium focused on childhood multisensory perception development. The international team includes researchers from Yale University, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and Italian Institute of Technology. Read More

Mabel Cummins is the definition of what it means to be more than a student-athlete. Read More

Vanderbilt alumnus Ashwin Kumar has been selected from a pool of more than 7,000 applicants for the 2023 cohort of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, where scholars receive up to three years of financial support to pursue graduate studies at Stanford University. Read More

Class of 2023: Read how NCAA bowling champion and National Player of the Year Mabel Cummins is using her intellect and competitive spirit in neuroscience and medicine. Read More

Researchers in the labs of Laurie Cutting and Bennett Landman recently published a study in Magnetic Resonance Imaging exploring a new tool for imaging the brains of neurofibromatosis type 1 patients and its significance in assessing their symptoms.  Read More

Five Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty members were elected 2022 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Read More

Mikail Rubinov has been awarded $600,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop new computational methods for analysis of large-scale brain activity data. Read More