Significant federal BRAIN Initiative support, including:
2015, $3.3M DARPA Multi-Center Award for Hand Proprioception and Touch Interfaces
2015, $6.4M NSF Multi-Center Award for Artificial Chemical Detection Systems
Pitt rankings in federal funding
#1 in support from the National Institute of Mental Health. Pitt psychiatry is rated top in the nation, and includes the 2014, $10M NIMH Conte Center for Translational Mental Health Research, focused on schizophrenia
#5 in overall NIH funding
#9 in overall federal funding
World-class expertise in neural engineering/neural prosthetics
Advanced neural probes to create longer-lasting brain-computer interfaces
Demonstration of the world’s most advanced brain-controlled arm and hand prosthesis
Featured on 60 Minutes
Recipient of large scale DOD/DARPA funding
Trials have given 2 quadriplegic patients intuitive, natural control of a robotic arm
Leadership in computational/theoretical neuroscience
Signature international award for computational neuroscience, the Mathematical Neuroscience Prize, awarded in 2015 to mathematician Bard Ermentrout
Top-ranked PhD training in computational neuroscience (joint with Carnegie Mellon University)
New computational model provides deep predictions linking brain circuits to brain activity
National Center for Neuroanatomy with Neurotropic Viruses
12 years of continuous federal funding to operate this international resource
Led by National Academy of Sciences member Peter L. Strick
Large and diverse community in human brain-imaging and mapping
Developed Pittsburgh Compound B to diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease
Multimodal noninvasive imaging (MRI, PET, MEG) for diagnosis and cognitive neuroscience
Pioneer of advanced imaging techniques to evaluate traumatic brain injury (Most cited in TBI)
Strength in deep brain recording and stimulation
Leading center for neuroscience in non-human primates
New tools to understand circuits involved in Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy
Brain Bank and pathology
More than 1,000 highly characterized brains and extensive international collaborations
Central in identifying the role of repetitive brain injury in dementia
History of translating science into effective treatments for brain and neurological disorders
Developed and introduced the Salk polio vaccine
First to introduce Gamma Knife in the U.S. to treat intractable brain tumors
Pioneering vaccines to prevent Zika brain infections
Recent recruitment of José-Alain Sahel, developer of artificial retina technology