News

Monday, October 19, 2015
NPR interviews author of "The Brain Electric," featuring Pitt BCI research

Listen to a 5-minute interview with book author Malcolm Gay, who discusses Pitt's efforts to allow a quadriplegic volunteer to use her brain signals to control a robotic arm that she named "Hector." Learn More

Saturday, October 17, 2015
Concussions are treatable, experts conclude at NFL-sponsored scientific meeting at UPMC

Treatment of the worst side effects is better than extended rest and restriction from activities, the 37 concussion experts announce. Learn More

Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Oct. 29 film event: Treating dementia with music

The Alzheimer Disease Research Center will screen "Alive Inside," an award-winning film that captures the transformative results of treating dementia with music, on Thursday, Oct. 29. Learn More

Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Yan Dong earns Jacob P Waletsky Award for basic research on addiction

Yan Dong found that that exposure to cocaine produces long-lasting changes in communication between brain regions implicated in motivation and reward, with implications for relapse to drug seeking. Learn More

Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Brain Institute recruits young investigator to Neurobiology of Dementia initiative

Amantha Thathiah, PhD, who studies the cellular and molecular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, will join Pitt's faculty in January. Learn More

Friday, October 2, 2015
Pitt scientist pens SCIENCE op-ed on future of neurotechnology

Recent progress in neural prosthetics has been achieved largely when complexity is not only recognized but used to advantage, says neurobiologist Andrew Schwartz. Learn More

Friday, October 2, 2015
NEJM study: Lowering nicotine in cigs leads to less smoking

Eric Donny, associate professor of psychology, led a 10-site study that suggests that reducing the levels of nicotine in cigarettes lowers dependence among smokers. Learn More

Thursday, October 1, 2015
UPMC study: Most Americans misunderstand concussion

A Harris Poll has found that the vast majority of U.S. adults do not really know what a concussion is, and many do not know the injury is treatable Learn More

Saturday, September 26, 2015
Urban and Ermentrout get $6.4M BRAIN Initiative grant

A Pitt team gets a three-year NSF grant to investigate how we are able to localize odors. Learn More

Saturday, September 26, 2015
"Math of brewing coffee" can model anesthesia

A story in Inside Science covers how Pitt scientists use percolation theory to investigate how anesthetics act on the brain. Learn More

Saturday, September 19, 2015
MEG expert merges music and brain imagery

For fun and science: A cellist pretends he is playing along to a recording of his own music, while Pitt experts capture images of his brain performance. Learn More

Thursday, September 17, 2015
Strick to deliver keynote to Society for Neurobiology of Language

Peter L. Strick, PhD, the Brain Institute's Scientific Director, will discuss the significance of two primary motor areas --  “Old” and “New” M1 -- at the annual meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language  in Chicago on Oct. 15. Learn More

Thursday, September 17, 2015
Houtrow co-authors Institute of Medicine report on mental health access

Many low-income children with mental disorders who are eligible for federal benefits may not be receiving them.     Learn More

Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Trib Review: Expert finds concussion a "manageable injury"

National experts will test two ideas that have transformed concussion treatment at Pitt: that concussions come in several types and that therapy is a better treatment than rest.   Learn More

Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Top concussion experts in nation to convene at Pitt in October

Check here for the list of 36 concussion experts who will determine best practices, protocols and therapies for treating concussions. Results of this collaboration will be published in the journal Neurosurgery. Learn More

Saturday, September 12, 2015
Post-Gazette: "Leading ALS researcher joins Brain Institute"

Chris Donnelly, PhD, whose recent study helps explain a problem that occurs with neurons controlling motor function, is focusing on the deadly disease process and compounds holding potential to treat or prevent it. Learn More

Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Investigators create model for how anesthesia switches off consciousness

Yan Xu, PhD, and colleagues have created a computer model of a network of neurons that suggests that a sudden breakdown in the network's ability to transmit information mimics the brain wave changes that accompany anesthesia.   Learn More

Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Pitt named Center of Excellence for bleeding disorder that can lead to stroke

Pitt has earned international recognition as a premier center for treatment of and research into hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), a rare genetic disorder that can cause sudden, catastrophic internal bleeding and stroke. Learn More

Monday, August 31, 2015
No link seen between depression and teen pot smoking

Newsweek cites a Pitt study that finds no evidence of later depression or other mental illness in adults who smoked marijuana during adolescence. Learn More

Monday, August 31, 2015
Brain Institute hires four scientists

The Brain Institute has recruited four highly talented young investigators with home departments in Psychology, Bioengineering, and Neurobiology.  Learn More

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