The Neuroscience Initiative at University of Utah Health represents a commitment, by the University of Utah and the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences office, to unify basic, translational, and clinical research efforts towards a better understanding of the brain in disease and health. This vision is currently being accomplished by linking clinicians, scientists, and the broader neuroscience community at University of Utah Health. Our neuroscience research community, ranging from neurologists to imaging specialist to molecular biologists (>150 investigators) spans across 7 colleges and schools, 15 centers and institutes, and more than 32 departments.
Research suggests that oxytocin neurons initially evolved as a defensive mechanism to protect against pain and injury. Oxytocin, the ‘love’ hormone commonly associated with mother-child bonding and romance, has long been studied in association with social behaviors. But oxytocin also has a less well-understood side.... Read More
Keven Walgamott had a good “feeling” about picking up the egg without crushing it. What seems simple for nearly everyone else can be more of a Herculean task for Walgamott, who lost his left hand and part of his arm in an electrical accident 17 years ago. But he was testing out the prototype of a high-tech prosthetic arm with fingers that not only can move, they can move with his thoughts. And thanks to a biomedical engineering team at the University of Utah, he “felt” the egg well enough so his brain could tell the prosthetic hand not to squeeze too hard.... Read More
Temporal lobe epilepsy is a seizure disorder that may result from head trauma, childhood injuries, tumors, brain malformations, and infections. Karen Wilcox, PhD, Chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Utah Health, received a $2.6 million Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to explore the role of infection in an intractable, non-genetic-form of epilepsy. ... Read More
With Super Bowl LIII on the horizon, Americans are gearing up to celebrate the modern-day clash of the titans. For many, football has become a taboo topic, as former fans abandon the sport to protest traumatic brain injuries caused by players hurling their bodies against one anotheragain and again and again.... Read More
Jason Shepherd, Ph.D., assistant professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy at University of Utah Health, is one of 17 recipients of the inaugural Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative. The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and his wife Pricilla Chan to provide new solutions to human disease. A major goal of the initiative is to bring new people with innovative ideas that solve intractable problems, in this case neurodegeneration.... Read More
This year, the Neuroscience Initiative at the University of Utah funded five one-year pilot collaborative seed grant projects for upto $50,000 in research areas that align with the Neuroscience Initiative mission of deepening our understanding of the brain and transforming this knowledge into innovative solutions for patient care. ... Read More
Clinicians treating low back pain have options when it comes to choosing strategies to help their patients gain relief. But which treatments — namely, physical therapy versus cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness — work best for each individual? A new University of Utah Health study led by Julie Fritz, PT, Ph.D., will seek to answer that question thanks to a $9.7 million grant from Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).... Read More
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Ever get chills listening to a particularly moving piece of music? You can thank the salience network of the brain for that emotional joint. Surprisingly, this region also remains an island of remembrance that is spared from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the University of Utah Health are looking to this region of the brain to develop music-based treatments to help alleviate anxiety in patients with dementia.... Read More
Select...University of Utah Health is proud to announce that it has recently received a $740,000 grant to study personalized effects of cannabinoids through the use of advanced brain imaging. The medical use of cannabinoids across an increasing number of conditions is now permitted in 29 states and counting, yet critical questions remain unanswered. ... Read More
Radiology
