Neuroscience News | Neuroscience | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

Researchers developed a proof-of-concept device capable of detecting a biomarker implicated in endometriosis with unprecedented sensitivity from menstrual blood. The device is similar to a pregnancy test, showing two lines if the biomarker is detected in the sample. Credit: Provided by Dipanjan Pan / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 23, 2025

Next-gen tech can detect disease biomarker in period blood

Proof-of-concept, at-home device can detect biomarker for endometriosis — a debilitating uterine disease — in 10 minutes; advancement makes early detection easier, more accessible, researchers say.

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Nanyin Zhang, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Chair in Brain Imaging and professor of biomedical engineering, of electrical engineering and of engineering science and mechanics; Patrick Drew, professor of engineering science and mechanics, of biomedical engineering, of neurosurgery and of biology; and Nikki Crowley, associate professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering and director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park, received a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to gain insight into the purpose of dreams. Credit: Keith Hickey/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 17, 2025

When dreams turn dark: Neuroscientists to study nightmares and mental health

Dreams, and likely nightmares, are experienced universally across humans and animals, but neuroscientists still do not know why. Now, with a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State will study the underlying mechanisms of nightmares and their relationship with anxiety-related mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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Credit: Keith Hickey / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 16, 2025

Optical tweezers help elevate single-molecule research at Penn State

The instrument, supported by a new NIH infrastructure grant, uses laser light to ‘tweeze’ tiny objects like DNA molecules and proteins.

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Graduate student Chad Smies and postdoctoral scholar Jiyeon “Joan” Baek manipulate a solution that will be used to visualize protein expression in the mouse brain. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 14, 2025

The breadth of the brain

Researchers in the Penn State Neuroscience Institute study the brain’s many aspects in a variety of ways, with implications from mental health to aging and disease.

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A flexible, skin-like sensor can monitor movement and electrical signals inside the body, with the potential to aid healing and bladder control. Credit: Huanyu “Larry” Cheng and Jennifer M. McCann. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 10, 2025

Skin-like sensor monitors internal, external body movement, electrical signals

A new skin-like sensor developed by an international team led by researchers at Penn State could help doctors monitor vital signs more accurately, track healing after surgery and even help patients with bladder control issues.

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Postdoctoral fellow Laurel Seemiller studies the biology and long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol usage. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 08, 2025

Q&A: Does adolescent alcohol use impact future risk of addiction?

Postdoctoral fellow Laurel Seemiller studies the biology and long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol usage. In this Q&A, Seemiller spoke about her research and her experience at Penn State.

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Jason Keagy, assistant research professor of wildlife behavioral ecology, is shown on the bank of an Icelandic lake holding a fish trap during a collection of threespined sticklebacks in a previous study. Credit: Janette Boughman. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 07, 2025

‘Scialog’ grant to study how rising ocean temperatures affect fish behavior

A wildlife behavioral ecologist at Penn State is part of a multi-institution team that received funding from Scialog: Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems, a international three-year initiative that aims to spark new science exploring neurobiological responses to rapidly changing environments.

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The findings challenge previous beliefs that scientists can make assumptions about bees’ nutritional needs based on what they choose to consume, according to the researchers. Credit: Neringa Normantaite/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 02, 2025

What a bumble bee chooses to eat may not match ideal diet

A new study led by researchers at Penn State suggests that what bumble bees choose to eat may not line up with their ideal nutritional needs.

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Scott Selleck, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State, studies neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in hopes of finding a way to stop their progression. Credit: Michelle Bixby/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 26, 2025

Q&A: The quest to halt neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and in this Q&A, Selleck talked about how he’s working to stop the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

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From left are: Jill Hamilton, Wenrui Hao and Gustavo Nader Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jun 30, 2025

Huck announces 2025-26 Leadership Fellows

Three faculty members, representing three different Penn State colleges, have been named Huck Leadership Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year.

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