The Brainstorm: May 2025

May 2025

Message from the Director, Dr. Jen Bizon

In this latest edition of The Brainstorm, we are pleased to highlight some of our faculty members' recent accomplishments and share the MBI's outreach efforts within the research community and the broader public.

As the fiscal year draws to a close, your support is crucial to help the MBI sustain and advance the work of our community. If you're interested in championing the efforts of our researchers and clinician-scientists, please click here.

I hope you all take some time to relax and recharge with your loved ones this summer. We're thankful for your contributions to our mission to enhance lives through neuroscience research and education.

Brain-mapping tool offers new view into molecules influencing Alzheimer’s

Brain-mapping tool offers new view into metabolites

A new approach expands the fundamental understanding of brain chemistry and holds the potential to drive the next wave of research programs in Alzheimer’s.

Worldwide OCD genetics study offers clues for higher risk

In the largest-ever study into the genetics of OCD, researchers have identified DNA variants that could help predict who is at greater risk of developing it.

UF undergrad takes top prize in national science contest

Devon Borg, from the lab of Dr. Habibeh Khoshbouei, won the top prize in the Brain and Behavior category of the 2025 AAAS Student E-poster Competition.

MBI to add new Gator NeuroScholars

Applications are open for the MBI Gator NeuroScholars Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Made possible through the support of our foundation partners, this program will support up to four new postdoctoral associates.

Apply today

MBI Researcher Highlights

Our two latest MBI Researcher Highlights feature Dr. Amanda Elton, assistant professor of psychiatry, and Dr. Freddyson Martinez-Rivera, assistant professor of neuroscience.

Stories of brain resilience inspire UF’s research community

Stories of brain resilience inspire research community

Two powerful stories of perseverance took center stage at an MBI Insights event called “The Resilient Brain: Patient Journeys & Neuroplasticity.”

Neuroscience students share brain-research enthusiasm with schoolchildren

In celebration of Brain Awareness Week, the MBI welcomed 35 teenage homeschool students and 40 more ages 7-12 for lab tours and more.

Gainesville teen competes in USA Brain Bee Championship

The MBI was proud to sponsor Navya Goyal, winner of MBI-sponsored Alachua County Brain Bee, as she advanced to the national competition at Rutgers University.

Turning agony into action: One man’s quest to cure facial pain

Turning agony into action: A quest to cure facial pain

For more than two decades, Michael Pasternak has worked to help find a cure for trigeminal neuralgia.

Researchers present latest advances in developing nonopioid pain relievers

Researchers present advances in nonopioid pain reliever development

The UF Center for Advanced Pain Therapeutics and Research (CAPToR) hosted an inaugural symposium.

Faculty and family celebrate legacy of famed neurosurgeon Dr. Al Rhoton

An event at the Cade Museum celebrated Rhoton’s enduring impact on brain research and the lives of patients.

Dr. Laura Ranum named UF distinguished professor

Dr. Laura Ranum named distinguished professor

Ranum recognized with UF’s highest faculty honor for contributions to the field of neurogenetics.

MBI Researchers in the Spotlight

Journalists regularly reach out to MBI members for their expertise. Here are recent examples our researchers in the news:

Neurology Today (Dr. Steven DeKosky) — GLP-1 receptor agonists linked to lower dementia risk, observational studies find
Cup O’ Joe (Drs. Stefan Prokop and Matthew LaVoie) — UF Provost’s video series visits UF Neuromedicine Human Brain and Tissue Bank
Women's Health magazine (Dr. Amanda Elton) — Is brain rot real? And what to do about it, according to brain experts
Science News (Dr. Rachael Seidler) — Two astronauts stuck in space for 9 months have returned to Earth

Check out these recent Conversation pieces written by MBI members:

Dr. Carol Mathews — Researchers uncovered hundreds of genes linked to OCD, providing clues about how it changes the brain − new research
Dr. Yenisel Cruz-Almeida — Why does it hurt when you get a scrape? A neuroscientist explains the science of pain (Curious Kids series)
Dr. Diego Rincon-Limas — Brain inflammation may be the reason behind muscle fatigue after infection and injury

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.

MBI Research Snapshots

Graphic image of a brain with data points placed on top

Drs. Pedro Valdes-Hernandez, Soamy Montesino-Goicolea and Yenisel Cruz-Almeida uncover how chronic pain may affect the brain’s ability to clear waste in people with worse sleep. Read the Snapshot»
Drs. Alexandria Marciante, Arash Tadjalli and Gordon S. Mitchell provide insight into mechanisms of plasticity in neurons responsible for breathing, part of research into potential treatment of spinal cord injury, ALS and multiple sclerosis. Read the Snapshot»
Drs. Cheng Tang and Rajesh Khanna report that a new nonopioid compound shows potential to mitigate pain in preclinical animal models and human 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?

Visit our Giving Page