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Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition

Promoting interdisciplinary and integrative research across the life, social, neural, and computational sciences.

CBBC student travel award

The Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition (CBBC) at Penn State is pleased to announce a center-specific travel award for a student that will present their own research on integrative mechanisms of behavior or cognition at a national or international scientific conference. The goal is to support a Penn State student whose research aligns with the CBBC goals of understanding complex mechanisms underlying naturalistic behaviors and/or the integration of different methods and analytical approaches.

To apply, please send the following information to sac34@psu.edu:

(1) presentation title
(2) conference name, date, and location
(3) brief description of the research that you will present and how it addresses the integrative research goals of the CBBC (no more than 250 words)

Awardees and their presentation information will be highlighted on the CBBC website. Travel for the 2022-2023 fiscal year award must be completed before June 30, 2023. This award is available to graduate students at the Pennsylvania State University and is a supplement to other sources of funding for student research presentations at scientific conferences.

The Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition (CBBC) promotes cutting-edge research that quantifies and addresses the mechanisms underlying human and animal behaviors in complex, natural environments. Members of the CBBC investigate these mechanisms across a wide range of systems at different levels (e.g., molecular, cellular, and physiological) by using different methodological and analytical approaches (e.g., behavioral, imaging, and computational).

News

New CMIND director named

Janine Kwapis, the Paul Berg Early Career Professor in the Biological Sciences at Penn State, has been appointed director of the University's Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders (CMIND), an interdisciplinary research unit within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

Rewriting the evolutionary history of critical components of the nervous system

A new study has rewritten the conventionally understood evolutionary history of certain proteins critical for electrical signaling in the nervous system. The study, led by Penn State researchers, shows that the well-studied family of proteins — potassium ion channels in the Shaker family — were present in microscopic single cell organisms well before the common ancestor of all animals.

Memory problems in old age linked to a key enzyme, study in mice finds

A team of researchers from Penn State has identified an enzyme that contributes to age-related impairments in memory updating. When blocked, older mice were better able to incorporate new information and performed similarly to their younger counterparts. The researchers said the findings may lead to the development of potential therapeutic targets for improving cognitive flexibility in old age.

News

New CMIND director named

Janine Kwapis, the Paul Berg Early Career Professor in the Biological Sciences at Penn State, has been appointed director of the University's Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders (CMIND), an interdisciplinary research unit within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

Rewriting the evolutionary history of critical components of the nervous system

A new study has rewritten the conventionally understood evolutionary history of certain proteins critical for electrical signaling in the nervous system. The study, led by Penn State researchers, shows that the well-studied family of proteins — potassium ion channels in the Shaker family — were present in microscopic single cell organisms well before the common ancestor of all animals.

Memory problems in old age linked to a key enzyme, study in mice finds

A team of researchers from Penn State has identified an enzyme that contributes to age-related impairments in memory updating. When blocked, older mice were better able to incorporate new information and performed similarly to their younger counterparts. The researchers said the findings may lead to the development of potential therapeutic targets for improving cognitive flexibility in old age.

New high-resolution 3D maps show how the brain’s blood vessels changes with age

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