Dr. Sandra Petersen, Professor of Molecular Endocrinology of Reproduction, and her research team have discovered a link between a protein considered in Alzheimer’s treatment and its possible varied effects on inflammatory neurodegenerative diseases. Continue reading
Category Archives: Research
UMass Neurosciences Publications – April 2019
This month’s featured researcher is Annaliese Beery, who is graduate faculty in Neuroscience & Behavior at UMass and an Associate Professor of Psychology at Smith College. She studies the neural basis for affiliative behaviors, which help support social groups. Her PhD student, Nicole Lee, who is a co-author on a recent paper was the co-recipient of the Vincent Dethier Award.
Here’s what’ new for ‘ ”University of Massachusetts” AND Amherst AND neuroscience’ in PubMed. These publications appeared on line in March. They are just a fraction of the research that occurs on campus.
Workshop on Methods in Systems Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
UMass Amherst Campus Center Auditorium
1 Campus Center Way
Amherst, MA 01003
This workshop is part of the UMass Interdisciplinary Neurosciences Conference, which focuses on Neuroengineering this year. The main goal of this workshop is to bring together neuroscience and engineering researchers to discuss modern techniques in neurotechnology. The intended audience is students (graduate and undergraduate), postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff who have interests in learning about or implementing new technology in their neuroscience research. In particular, we will discuss viral vector techniques, open-source strategies in electrical and optical neural monitoring and manipulation, and design of experimental tools and techniques. In addition to hearing about the latest work in systems neuroscience and neurotechnology, time will be provided for discussion with experts about how to incorporate these techniques into your own research, so attendees should come prepared to ask questions and participate in discussion.
Free on-site Registration.
Specific goals include Continue reading
Student Spotlight – Francesca Walsh
This month’s student spotlight is on MS student Franchesca Walsh. Fran is an MS student working with in Youngbin Kwak’s lab. She is interested in neuroeconomics. Together with her advisor and co-author Erik Cheries, she recently published a commentary entitled, “‘Incentive hope’ and the nature of impulsivity in low-socioeconomic-status individuals” in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Cambridge University Press) in which they respond to Anselme and Gunturkun’s Incentive Hope Hypothesis. This motivation mechanism theory brings together neuroscience literature on reward uncertainty and decision making with biology field observations of animal foraging behavior. Continue reading
UMass Neurosciences Publications – March 2019
The featured researcher is David Moorman, who is an assistant professor in the department of Pyschological & Brain Sciences. Dr. Moorman had 3 publications appear on PubMed this month. His research examines how neuronal ensembles encode reward. He uses cutting edge techniques to optically record and stimulate neurons while animals are behaving.
Here’s what’ new for ‘ ”University of Massachusetts” AND Amherst AND neuroscience’ in PubMed. These publications appeared on line in March. They are just a fraction of the research that occurs on campus. Continue reading
Research Next, Spotlight Scholar: Rebecca Spencer
UMass Neuroscientist, Rebecca Spencer was profiled by UMass in a Scholar Spotlight for her research on Sleep. Dr. Spencer’s Sleep Lab (aka Somneurolab) measures brain activity when people are sleeping. She is looking at effects on memory and comparing different age groups. Read more in the Scholar Spotlight.
UMass Neuroscience Publications – Feb. 2019
What’s new for ‘ ”University of Massachusetts” AND Amherst AND neuroscience’ in PubMed.
These publications appeared on line in February. They are just a fraction of the research that occurs on campus.
Innovation Marketplace
The innovation marketplace is a place to pitch an idea for a collaboration to obtain a Neuroengineering seed grant.
The goal is to find new avenues of collaboration between neuroscientists and engineers.
Faculty are invited to submit a pitch by filling out an online form. The pitch is simply a short explanation of a problem that they have identified that could be solved with collaboration. For example, a neuroscientist may have identified the need for a new tool. Or an engineer may have designed a tool and is interested in finding new uses for it. Similarly, this could extend to analytic methods or devices. Continue reading
UMass Neuroscience Publications – Jan 2019
What’s new for ‘ ”university of Massachusetts” AND amherst AND neuroscience’ in PubMed. Continue reading
Neuroengineering Seed Grants
Neuroengineering is the combination of fields of neurosciences and engineering. It includes the development of devices or methodology to monitor brain activity as well as therapeutic devices that help overcome neurological conditions. It could also encompass new means of utilizing the brain’s activity.
Goal: Initiate new collaborative work in Neuroengineering. The proposal should lead towards new external funding in the field of neuroengineering.
Award Amounts: $10,000 – $30,000. Anticipated total funding, $100,000. Funds can be used for anything except faculty teaching buyout. Funds are awarded only to UMass Amherst faculty members. Continue reading
Microgrants available to faculty
Faculty members who attended 3 Faculty Forums in the fall semester are eligible to apply for a $1000 micro-grant from IONs. These grants can be used for small purchases or for travel reimbursement.
Contact IONs@umass.edu for more information.
Neurosciences Faculty Forums – Spring 2019
The Neurosciences Faculty Forum is a lunchtime group that meets twice a month. It gives faculty members and post-docs from across the UMass campus a chance to meet and discuss their research ideas in an informal setting. Powerpoint slides are discouraged (maximum of 3). The goal is to increase understanding and look for areas of cooperation and collaboration. Continue reading
UMass Neuroscience Publications – Dec. 2018
What’s new for ‘”university of Massachusetts” AND amherst AND neuroscience’ in PubMed.
- Beery AK. Inclusion of females does not increase variability in rodent research studies. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2018 Oct;23:143-149. doi: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.06.016. Epub 2018 Aug 2. PubMed PMID: 30560152; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6294461.
- Goodwin NL, Lopez SA, Lee NS, Beery AK. Comparative role of reward in long-term peer and mate relationships in voles. Horm Behav. 2018 Dec 7. pii: S0018-506X(18)30330-1. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.10.012. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30528833.
- Chen XJ, Liu LL, Wang Y, Yang TX, Huang J, Li K, Zeng YW, Cheung EFC, Shum DHK, van Amelsvoort T, Chan RCK. Neural correlates of the effect of implementation intention on prospective memory. Psych J. 2018 Dec 5. doi: 10.1002/pchj.257. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30520271.
- Mantua J, Grillakis A, Mahfouz SH, Taylor MR, Brager AJ, Yarnell AM, Balkin TJ, Capaldi VF, Simonelli G. A systematic review and meta-analysis of sleep architecture and chronic traumatic brain injury. Sleep Med Rev. 2018 Oct;41:61-77. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2018.01.004. Epub 2018 Feb 2. Review. PubMed PMID: 29452727.
- Doan SN, DeYoung G, Fuller-Rowell TE, Liu C, Meyer J. Investigating relations among stress, sleep and nail cortisol and DHEA. Stress. 2018 Mar;21(2):188-193. doi: 10.1080/10253890.2018.1429398. Epub 2018 Jan 26. PubMed PMID: 29373934.
- Mott M, Luna VM, Park JY, Downes GB, Epley K, Ono F. Expressing acetylcholine receptors after innervation suppresses spontaneous vesicle release and causes muscle fatigue. Sci Rep. 2017 May 10;7(1):1674. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01900-3. PubMed PMID: 28490756; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5431962.
New UMass Neurosciences Pubs 12/1
Here are some of the latest neuroscience publications to appear in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).This is the result of a search for Search: “university of Massachusetts” AND Amherst AND neuroscience on Dec 1, 2018. Continue reading
New UMass Neuroscience Publications in Pubmed
Here are some of the latest neuroscience publications to appear in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).This is the result of a search for Search: “university of Massachusetts” AND Amherst AND neuroscience on Nov 5, 2018. Continue reading