News

Apr 09, 2021

New position will support graduate and post-graduate training

Donna Korzick, professor of physiology and kinesiology, recently assumed a new role as director of graduate training initiatives in the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences. In this role, Korzick is dedicating half of her time to support the application for and execution of training grants from organizations like the National Institutes of Health.

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Mar 08, 2021

New Appointments to Build on Excellence in Graduate Training

Two familiar faces within the Huck's graduate program system will be adding new roles to support the Institutes' portfolio of extramurally-funded programs.

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Feb 02, 2021

Infants exposed to second-hand smoke may develop behavior problems later in life

When parents think of baby-proofing, they may think of baby gates and outlet covers, but there might be something less obvious to consider: whether previous occupants of their home were smokers. According to a National Institutes of Health-funded study by researchers at Penn State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), babies can be exposed to nicotine left behind in the home.

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Jan 18, 2021

Increased blood flow during sleep tied to critical brain function

Our brains experience significant changes in blood flow and neural activity during sleep, according to Penn State researchers. Such changes may help to clean out metabolic brain waste that builds up during the day.

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Dec 23, 2020

Researchers investigate an at-home 'scratch-and-sniff' test for COVID-19

A self-administered "scratch-and-sniff" test for COVID-19 may be around the corner, according to researchers at Penn State, the University of Florida, and Arizona State University.

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Dec 16, 2020

Some neurons target tiny cerebral blood vessel dilation

Neurons control blood flow in tiny vessels in the brain, but researchers know little about this relationship. Now a team of Penn State engineers has found a connection between nitric oxide expressing neurons and changes in arterial diameters in mice, which may shed light on brain function and aging.

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Dec 11, 2020

Psychology professor receives grant to 'harmonize' brain injury data

A provisional grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health, will help Penn State professor of psychology, Frank Hillary, and 37 co-investigators from all over the world promote brain injury data sharing worldwide in the hopes of advancing science and improving patient outcomes.

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Dec 08, 2020

Making Connections: Psychologist explores the neuroscience of creativity

Is there anything more mysterious — or human — than the creative impulse? Whatever the field of endeavor: music, art, science, business… What accounts for the inspired burst of innovation? The spark that flits to flame and lights the way to something entirely new?

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Nov 11, 2020

Smell and taste changes provide early indication of COVID-19 community spread

Self-reports of smell and taste changes provide earlier markers of the spread of infection of SARS-CoV-2 than current governmental indicators, according to an international team of researchers. The researchers also observed a decline in self-reports of smell and taste changes as early as five days after lockdown enforcement, with faster declines reported in countries that adopted the most stringent lockdown measures.

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Oct 16, 2020

Researchers deconstruct the 'biological clock' that regulates birdsong

The precise timing of a bird's complex song is driven in part by the often-ignored “wires” connecting neurons in the bird's brain, according to a new study. A team of researchers from Penn State and NYU Langone Health has deconstructed an important “biological clock” that regulates birdsong and other behaviors, leading to new ways of thinking about the function of neuronal networks.

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