Learn about the latest news and events going on in the department. You can also follow us on Twitter (@WUSTLneurosci).
Washington University launches new post-bacc neuroscience training opportunity
Neuroprep is a two-year, paid program for recent college graduates from groups currently under-represented in the profession to gain research skills in preparation for grad school.
Congratulations to O’Leary Prize finalists Jung Uk Kang and Alessandro Livi
Kang and Livi will present their research at the annual O’Leary Prize Competition March 14, 2023.
Department of Neuroscience marks International Women’s Day with Mildred Trotter Lecture
Rachel Wilson, PhD, of Harvard Medical School presents the 2023 Lecture on the neural circuitry of navigation and reflects on the status of women in science.
Transcriptomic changes in glia linked to specific neurodegenerative diseases
A study of human brain tissue by Guoyan Zhao and colleagues identifies genetic activity in microglia and astrocytes related neurodegeneration and neuropathology among individuals with Alzheimer or Parkinson disease.
Cheng Huang joins Department of Neuroscience as Assistant Professor
Huang studies memory processing and retrieval in Drosophila and has developed cutting-edge optical tools for observing neural plasticity in behaving flies.
Cavalli Lab describes immune cells that promote nerve regeneration
After an injury to dorsal root ganglion neurons adjacent to the spinal cord, resident macrophages work with satellite glial cells to heal damaged axons.
WashU Medicine reaches new heights as it climbs to No. 3 in NIH research funding (Links to an external site)
Research flourishes despite the immense challenges of the pandemic.
Adam Kepecs selected for Buzsáki Lecture Award by Hungarian Neuroscience Society
Professor Kepecs presented to the Joint Meeting of the Hungarian and Austrian Neuroscience Societies on his approaches to developing methods to accurately model human psychiatric disorders.
Daily activity schedules mapped in the Drosophila brain
Cellular circuits downstream from circadian pacemaker neurons direct normal daily rhythms of feeding, mating and sleep.
Some dinos may have been as brainy as modern primates, controversial study argues (Links to an external site)
Read Dr. Ashley Morhardt’s take on the paper in an article in Science.
Sustainability key focus in Neuroscience Research Building construction (Links to an external site)
Facility on track to achieve LEED Gold certification
Zebrafish advance as a model organism for Fragile X Syndrome
A new study from the Goodhill Lab finds the genetic variant underlying an autism disorder causes changes in fish’s social behavior, preference in visual environment, and neural activity.
Glia: Unsung heroes of the nervous system (Links to an external site)
Read graduate student Katie Lefton’s article in Science Today about astrocytes, microglia, and satellite glial cells.
David Van Essen listed as Highly Cited Researcher for eighth consecutive year
Matthew Glasser, a former graduate student of Van Essen and currently an Instructor in Radiology, also made the 2022 list.
Harrison Gabel promoted to Associate Professor
Dr. Gabel receives tenure for his pathbreaking research on epigenomic regulation of brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders, along with his devotion to mentoring and teaching.
Taghert Lab identifies off switch for a set of circadian clock–controlled behaviors in flies
Phosphorylation of a receptor controls how messages from the neuropeptide PDF—which influence dawn and dusk activities in Drosophila—are curtailed on a daily basis to adapt the circadian clock to changing daylight.
Understanding, treating pain, reducing opioid use, aim of $11.7 million grant (Links to an external site)
Valeria Cavalli, PhD, and Guoyan Zhao, PhD, are among the collaborators at WashU participating in the Integrated Research Center for Human Pain Tissues (INTERCEPT) Pain Center at the School of Medicine.
People missing all or part of the connection between their brain hemispheres are more persuadable
A study of individuals with congenital corpus callosum dysgenesis suggests they face social difficulties due to being more easily influenced and less aware of being tricked.