UCLA Brain Research Institute

Theresa Harrison

The BRI Congratulates Member
Stephen Young, MD
Newly Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Dr. Young, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, is a renowned cardiologist and molecular geneticist. His work has enlightened our understanding of the mechanisms for human diseases in the context of plasma triglyceride metabolism and the role of nuclear envelope proteins.

The BRI considers Dr. Young a valued member of the neuroscience research community here, particularly because of his contributions to the discovery that lamins B1 and B2 play an essential role in the migration of neurons in the developing brain.

Membership in the National Academy of Sciences is considered one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a scientist, and is a clear recognition of Dr. Young's distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Learn more about Dr. Young's research here.

June Image of the Month

Image of the Month

Pseudorabies virus tracing reveals neuron-specific connectivity of the striatum. Labeled, imaged neurons (left panel) from the entire brain are registered to the mouse brain (center panel), automatically detected by a custom computer program, and assimilated into specific regions (right panel).

Image by Ani Minasyan & David Peña from the laboratory of Wendy Walwyn, PhD.

Project Synapse Flyer

THE UCLA BRI AWARD WINNERS AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE SCIENCE FAIR WERE ANNOUNCED MAY 24th, 2016

Recognizing 10 outstanding junior and senior high school student projects related to neuroscience

Mahnur A. Bharucha, Grade 8 (pictured center with BRI Director Chris Evans, left) won the BRI's Special Recognition Award, Junior Division, for her project Wonder Pets: The Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on Children with Autism.

Project Advisor: Mrs. Mariam Rangoonwala
School: Institute of Knowledge, Diamond Bar, Los Angeles County

More information on BRI outreach activities at State and County Science Fairs here.

Introducing the BRI's New Member

STEPHANIE SEIDLITS, PhD, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BIOENGINEERING
"Engineering the neural microenvironment"

Stephanie Seidlits is a bioengineer researching at the intersection of engineering, neuroscience and medicine. She uses biomaterial microenvironments and advanced imaging tools to develop clinical therapies for disorders including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and glioma formation. The long-term goal of this research is to translate biomaterial microenvironments into in vivo regenerative therapies, which do not exist at present.

Seidlits’ recent article in Biomarkers Insights reviews of the current state of development of effective gene therapies in the spinal cord and discusses the potential of biomaterials to mediate gene delivery while providing inductive scaffolding to facilitate tissue regeneration.

Image: Transverse section of mouse spinal cord with a biomaterial substrate implanted at a dorsal injury site (4 weeks post-injury, neurofilament-200, immunofluorescence shown in red). Courtesy of Stephanie Seidlits.

More information about the Seidlits lab can be found here.

In the News Image

Giving Thanks to the Knaub Family

The Knaub Unitrust, established by Richard and Suzanne Knaub, has donated a sizable gift to the BRI in support of Multiple Sclerosis research at UCLA.

This gift will be used to endow an annual program to name and support Postdoctoral or Predoctoral Fellows pursuing relevant projects, and who exemplify trainee excellence, innovation, and a multidisciplinary approach to MS research.

"We want to express our sincere gratitude to the Knaub family for this generous gift which will enable young researchers to contribute to translational research related to understanding and treating MS," said BRI Director Christopher Evans.

The call for brief proposals will be made early in the fall of 2016. More details to come.

NSIDP

The Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program

About

Graduate Program

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Upcoming Events

JOINT SEMINARS IN NEUROSCIENCE

Tuesday, September 27, 2016
12:00 Noon

Dr. Michael Long
Assistant Professor
New York Stem Cell Foundation
Robertson Neuroscience Investigator
New York University School of Medicine

The sequential activation of neurons has been observed during a range of behaviors and cognitive states and is central to many models of neural circuit function, but the synaptic connections enabling such dynamics are poorly understood. Song production in the zebra finch depends on a cortical region called HVC, which contains a major class of premotor neurons that fire action potential bursts in a fixed, sequential pattern during singing. Dr. Long employs a range of techniques to manipulate and monitor this network in order to test models of circuit function. He also compares/contrasts the dynamics inherent in this system with those governing human speech production as well as the vocal production in a nontraditional rodent model system.

Neuroscience Research Building
1st Floor Auditorium