Neuroscience

A new microfluidic device containing human cells that faithfully mimics the behavior of the blood-brain barrier is providing new insights into brain inflammation, the silent killer. Read More

A study finds men are better at recognizing Transformer faces while women are better at recognizing Barbie faces, supporting the theory that we're more likely to recognize what we're used to seeing. Read More

A team of Vanderbilt scientists have genetically modified luciferase, the enzyme that produces bioluminescence, so that it acts as an optical sensor that records activity in brain cells. Read More

Sometimes you can't improve on a classic method: Touch typing is still the fastest. Read More

The 2016 symposium and poster session for the Silvio O. Conte Neuroscience Research Center at Vanderbilt University will be Friday, Oct. 28, from noon to 5:30 p.m. in Medical Research Building III, Room 1220. Read More

Research by Associate Professor of Psychology Suzana Herculano-Houzel finds that human intelligence comes from the number of neurons in our brains—and it was the invention of cooking that made neuron development possible. Read More

During development, neural circuits are remodeled – some synapses are eliminated and others are strengthened – to produce a mature, functional nervous system. Read More

Stimulating the brain with a mild electrical current can temporarily sharpen vision without glasses or contacts, Vanderbilt University researchers have found. (But please don't try this at home.) Read More

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente has appointed an 18-member committee of faculty and students to conduct the national search for the Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute chaired by Randolph Blake, Centennial Professor of Psychology, and Danny Winder, director for the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research. Read More

The first study to systematically measure the number of neurons in the brains of birds has found that they have significantly more neurons packed into their small brains than are stuffed into mammalian and even primate brains of the same mass. Read More

The Program for Music, Mind and Society at Vanderbilt presents its annual symposium, "The Science of Song," Sept. 12 from 2 to 8 p.m. in Ingram Hall of the Blair School of Music. Read More

“Neuro-diverse: A Symposium on Autism, Neuroscience and Perceptual Thinking” and an associated evening lecture – both free and open to the public – will take place on the Vanderbilt campus Monday, May 23. Read More

A national search will be launched this fall for the Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente announced today. Current VBI Associate Director Ron Emeson will begin a term as interim director effective July 1. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) and Currey Ingram Academy present the third annual Neuroscience & Education Symposium on Thursday and Friday, June 2–3, on the Currey Ingram Academy campus in Brentwood. Read More

A team of neuroscientists at Vanderbilt University has taken an important step toward uncovering the mystery behind the California sea lion's prodigious intelligence by conducting the first comprehensive study of their central nervous systems. Read More

The National Academy of Sciences has announced that Geoffrey Woodman, associate professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, will receive a 2016 Troland Research Award. Read More

A new meta-analysis has found that the beneficial effects of using psychological therapy to treat the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are not only short term but are also long lasting. Read More

For her contributions to public communication, outreach and education about neuroscience, Nicole Baganz, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Pharmacology, received the 2015 Next Generation Award from the Society for Neuroscience. Read More

The thickness of the cortex in a region of the brain that specializes in facial recognition can predict an individual's ability to recognize faces and other objects. Read More

When faced with ambiguous visual information, it is the visual processing areas of the brain that choose between the competing impressions, not the higher levels of the brain as previously thought. Read More