The Brainstorm: Early Fall 2024

Early Fall 2024

Message from the Director, Dr. Jen Bizon

It’s been an exciting summer at the MBI as we’ve expanded our leadership team to better serve our research community in their pursuit of transforming brain health.

We welcome aboard Dr. Jose Abisambra, our new associate director for research programs, and Dr. Ramon Sun, our new associate director for innovation. In this newsletter, read how these new positions will help advance our mission and catch up on some of the exciting advancements and honors our researchers have been involved with this summer.

Stay tuned for announcements from the MBI this fall as we launch new events and programs. Wishing you all a great semester!

MBI names associate directors

Drs. Jose Abisambra and Ramon Sun joined the MBI leadership team to build community and expand access to technology.

MBI deputy director receives national Alzheimer’s award

Dr. Steven DeKosky was honored with the Bill Thies Award for Distinguished Service to ISTAART for his work to bolster a global Alzheimer’s research network.

Older age shown as major risk factor for phishing scams

Easy-to-administer lab test offers strong indicator of who is most susceptible, new study shows.

Study links brain inflammation to muscle fatigue

Fruit fly studies could pave the way for therapies targeting brain-muscle communication.

Researchers to test novel treatments for medulloblastoma

First-ever human clinical trials of new experimental treatments for Group 4 medulloblastoma to begin at UF this fall.

University of Florida Women of Neuro

Our UF Women of Neuro series shines light on the incredible women leading our neuro initiatives. Dr. May Khanna’s laboratory conducts preclinical research focused on developing drugs to combat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Batten disease.

See more Women of Neuro features

Unpacking hoarding

In this video, Dr. Carol Mathews explains what hoarding disorder is and common issues when left untreated. READ MORE»

MBI researchers earn UF seed fund awards

Multidisciplinary research projects selected for annual UF Research awards. READ MORE»

MBI member named PHHP’s associate dean of research

Dr. David Fuller will focus on developing group and individual activities that promote the college’s research mission. READ MORE»

Dr. Kenneth Heilman, a founder in the field of behavioral neurology, dies at 86

Neurologist impacted generations of trainees and paved the way for one of the field’s earliest fellowship programs. READ MORE»

MBI Researchers in the Spotlight

Journalists regularly reach out to our MBI members for their expertise on many subjects. If a reporter contacts you, please alert associate director of communications Todd Taylor or science writer Michelle Koidin Jaffee so we can assist with, archive, and promote your media endeavors. Here are recent examples of MBI researchers in the news:

WCJB TV 20 (Dr. Rajesh Khanna) — Tech Tuesday: PATH Collaboratory
The Washington Post (Dr. Gary Reisfield) — This Trader Joe’s seasoning is a hot item. In South Korea, it's illegal
Brain & Life Magazine (Dr. Michael Jaffee) — How long does it take to recover from a concussion

Check out these recent Conversation piece written by MBI members:

Drs. Natalie Ebner and Didem Pehlivanoglu — Are older adults more vulnerable to scams?
Drs. John Ligon and Christina von Roemeling — Brain cancer in children is notoriously hard to treat — a new mRNA cancer vaccine triggers an attack from within

The Conversation is a nonprofit, independent news organization publishing trustworthy and informative articles written by academic experts for the general public and edited by a team of journalists. The Conversation reaches 5 million-plus unique readers monthly and then the articles go farther, often picked up by major outlets such as The Washington Post, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune.

Contact science writer Michelle Koidin Jaffee or associate director of communications Todd Taylor with your ideas for The Conversation.

MBI Research Snapshots

Graphic image of a brain with data points placed on top

Drs. Marangelie Criado-Marrero, Sakthivel Ravi, and Jose Abisambra reported on the influence of aging in relation to brain changes following mild traumatic brain injuries. Read the Snapshot»
Drs. Cheng Tang and Rajesh Khanna reported on a potential way to regulate neuronal overactivity in quest for new therapies for chronic pain. Read the Snapshot»
Drs. Adithya Gopinath and Habibeh Khoshbouei reported on a potential way to monitor progression and treatment response in Parkinson’s by analyzing blood immune cells. Read the Snapshot»

Interested in supporting our researchers and clinician-scientists as they work to solve the most pressing challenges in neuroscience and neuromedicine today?

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