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MBI News

Sara Burke to receive APA award

Sara N. Burke, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of neuroscience, has been selected as a recipient of the 2017 American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award in the area of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. The honor will be presented to Burke at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in August.

How to know when holiday drinking is hurting your brain

UF Health psychiatrist Jamie Smolen, M.D., writes about the effects of alcohol use on the brain in a new essay that’s getting picked up by news outlets nationwide. Dr. Smolen has joined more than 60 UF colleagues in writing for The Conversation, an independent website of news and views…

Understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive aging

Adam Woods, Ph.D., an assistant professor and assistant program director for UF’s Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory in the MBI, discusses his research using cutting-edge neuroscience methods to investigate the cognitive aging process.

Powerful new 3T MRI comes to the MBI

The Siemens 3T MRI/S is a state-of-the-art $3 million scanner that has the strongest gradients available for human imaging, advanced motion correction capabilities and increased scanning flexibility. The new 3T will support a rapidly increasing number of federally funded UF investigators who are studying Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, aging…

2016 MBI Fellowship awardees announced

The MBI Fellowships were established to support students and fellows conducting neuroscience and brain-related research in MBI-affiliated labs. This year’s awardees: Sarah A. Johnson, postdoctoral associate in the department of neuroscience $60,000 over two years Mentor: Sara Burke, Ph.D. Project: Among the symptoms of age-related cognitive decline is a decreased…

Ken Marx named new MBI director of operations

The MBI welcomes Ken Marx as its new director of operations. Marx, who previously served as chief administrator for UF’s department of emergency medicine for 15 years, succeeds Kelly Sharp, who is now executive director of administration and finance at the UF College of Pharmacy. Marx started his career as…

New console for the 11.1 tesla

In August at the MagLab, engineers installed a new “control center” for one of our magnet systems that will result in faster experimental set-up times, more sensitive readings and detailed information for functional MRI experiments — all contributing to a wide range of neuroscience applications, such as pharmacological MRI. The beneficiary…

Biomarker breakthrough could improve Parkinson’s treatment

A new, non-invasive way to track the progression of Parkinson’s disease could help evaluate experimental treatments to slow or stop the disease’s progression. University of Florida researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to reveal areas where Parkinson’s disease and related conditions cause progressive decline in brain activity. The study, funded…

Even presidential candidates need sleep

Sleep is essential for good executive functioning and good general health. So how do candidates keep up the grueling demands of their schedules? Michael S. Jaffee, M.D., vice chair of UF’s department of neurology, weighs in with this piece, published in The Conversation. The demands of being a presidential candidate…