Announcements, Faculty, Neurobiology and Behavior, News, Press Release

Diego A. Pizzagalli named founding director of UC Irvine depression research institute

Diego A. Pizzagalli, Ph.D. – a leading researcher into the causes, manifestation and treatment of mood disorders, particularly major depression – has been named the founding director of a transdisciplinary depression research institute at the University of California, Irvine, following a nationwide search. The institute is supported by a record $55 million estate gift from philanthropist Audrey Steele Burnand.

In the Media, Neurobiology and Behavior, News, Research

Human brains, in and out of skulls, promise to unravel Alzheimer’s mysteries

Why do some brains remain robust as time marches on, while others wither? What can be done to halt deterioration in its tracks, or even better — reverse it?
That’s the mystery that decades of work at UCI and other federal research centers are dedicated to unraveling. Some of the biggest brains in science are devoted to understanding aging, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Faculty, Neurobiology and Behavior, News, Press Release, Research

Sweet smell of success: Simple fragrance method produces major memory boost

When a fragrance wafted through the bedrooms of older adults for two hours every night for six months, memories skyrocketed. Participants in this study by University of California, Irvine neuroscientists reaped a 226% increase in cognitive capacity compared to the control group. The researchers say the finding transforms the long-known tie between smell and memory into an easy, non-invasive technique for strengthening memory and potentially deterring dementia.

Associate Professor Vivek Swarup
Faculty, Neurobiology and Behavior, News, Press Release, Research

UC Irvine neuroscientists develop ‘meta-cell’ to move Alzheimer’s fight forward

University of California, Irvine neuroscientists probing the gene changes behind Alzheimer’s disease have developed a process of making a “meta-cell” that overcomes the challenges of studying a single cell. Their technique has already revealed important new information and can be used to study other diseases throughout the body.

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