Science & Technology

(SACRAMENTO) One day in early 2022, as Haytham Almunir got into his friend’s car to join him for lunch, he noticed the fingers on one of his hands suddenly stiffened and stuck together. He separated them with the other hand, but they immediately stuck back together.

As his friend drove, he asked Almunir questions. Almunir noticed he couldn’t find the words to respond.

“My friend was asking me questions, but I couldn’t answer. When no words were coming, I got really scared,” he said.

(SACRAMENTO) The University of California, Davis has launched the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics to advance basic knowledge about the mechanisms of psychedelics and translate it into safe and effective treatments for diseases such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, among others.

(SACRAMENTO) Researchers at UC Davis Health can continue their important research into brain health another five years thanks to a prestigious $25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. 

(SACRAMENTO) How we perceive faces depends on the context, but why is that?

Humans experience this phenomenon daily. We look at hundreds of faces and make a judgment.

(DAVIS) The University of California, Davis, is establishing a new center designed to develop ways to prevent long-term brain damage in humans when poisoned by organophosphate chemical nerve agents or pesticides. These organophosphates are a group of human-made chemicals developed for warfare during World War II and then subsequently modified for use as pesticides. They can affect insects and mammals, causing recurrent seizures and nervous system damage.

(SACRAMENTO) The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) at UC Davis has awarded six 2022 pilot grants to advance mental health research.

(SACRAMENTO) UC Davis Health is recruiting people for a clinical trial with the goal of building a “neurological prosthesis” for restoring speech to people who have lost — or are losing — the ability to speak. The research is aimed at people who have neurological injuries or progressive neurological diseases, such as spinal cord injury, stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

(SACRAMENTO) A new center that stands to transform surgical procedures and brain monitoring on a national scale using light-based, artificial intelligence-informed technologies will soon be part of Aggie Square at the University of California, Davis, thanks to a recent $6.3 million P41 grant from NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. 

The University of California, Davis, announced the recipients of the 2022 Chancellor’s Innovation Awards at an in-person event on June 16. The awards recognize faculty, community partners and industry leaders developing innovative solutions to improve the lives of others and address important needs in our global society.  

For decades, possession and use of drugs like LSD and cannabis has come with a threat of prosecution and jail time. But in the past few years, researchers have started taking a closer look at these compounds, finding potential for new treatments for psychiatric and central nervous system problems such as seizures, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Office of the Neural Exposome and Toxicology (ONETOX), a new office at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), directed by David Jett, Ph.D., announced the following funding opportunities and RFI.

(SACRAMENTO) Christina Kim, assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Neurology and faculty member of the Center for Neuroscience, has been selected as a 2022 Searle Scholar in recognition of her research on the molecular code that determines synaptic wiring and functional activity in neural circuits that regulate motivation.

(DAVIS) On May 11, 2022, over 400 people from the UC Davis research community came together for the annual Research Expo. The event showcased the latest research-related insight, resources, opportunities, and tools to help researchers advance their programs and extend their impact. This year’s event included presentations, exhibits, workshops, and opportunities to network with potential collaborators.

Evidence from human and animal testing suggests the brain-altering effects of psychedelics could be repurposed for treating addiction. 

Now, researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus plan to screen hundreds of compounds to discover new, nonhallucinogenic treatments for substance use disorders. The research is funded by a $2.7 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.

(SACRAMENTO) UC Davis Medical Center’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Program has been accredited as a Level 4 center for adult and pediatric epilepsy, the highest designation awarded, by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC).