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Researching the Brain, Seeking Cures

The brain is perhaps humankind’s greatest mystery. How do those 100 billion neurons in our heads work together to make us live, think, and act as we do? Yet even as we marvel at the human brain, we also know the terrible toll on individuals and society of ailments like Alzheimer’s, autism, addiction, and traumatic injury.

Understanding and addressing ailments that affect the brain requires many approaches, and AAU universities are helping lead the way. Their faculty and student researchers are studying the myriad aspects of the brain and seeking treatments and cures for debilitating diseases and conditions. This page highlights just a small fraction of the research taking place.

The research has been organized around the following categories: Addiction, Alzheimer’s, Autism, Brain Injury, Brain Tumors, Depression & Schizophrenia, Parkinson’s & Epilepsy, and Research Tools.

Much of the research is funded by such federal agencies as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

brain tissue

Why Some People Develop More Severe CTE Symptoms than Others

After ten years of studying the brains, researchers believe they have an explanation for why similar levels of head trauma in different people can cause some of them to suffer more drastic symptoms of CTE than others.
Illustration

Breakthrough Brain Research Could Yield New Treatments for Depression

Engineers and physicians at USC and the University of California, San Francisco have discovered how mood variations can be translated, or decoded, from neural signals in a person’s brain — a process that has not been demonstrated before.
Brain Pet scan

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Linked to Alzheimer's Disease

Aging adults who report being very sleepy during the day were nearly three times more likely to have brain deposits of beta amyloid, a protein that's a hallmark for Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent report.
Image of an elderly man's hands

Biomarkers Link Fatigue in Cancer, Parkinson’s

Biological markers responsible for extreme exhaustion in patients with cancer have now been linked to fatigue in those with Parkinson’s disease, according to new research from Rice University.

Explore More: Researching the Brain - Seeking Cures

You can filter stories by specialty area and/or by university.

People with Schizophrenia Show Distinct Brain Activity When Faced With Conflicting Information

Researchers introduce a biomarker to indicate whether someone is struggling with the inflexible thinking associated with the disorder.
Tufts University | Vanderbilt University | Researching the Brain, Seeking Cures | University Research

The Military’s “Uniquely Invisible” Injuries

Brain injuries, access to firearms, and a culture of selflessness intersect to put the lives of our nation’s heroes at risk, according to an NYU Meyers researcher
New York University | Researching the Brain, Seeking Cures

Poor Sleep May Increase Markers of Poor Brain Health, New Study Finds

Sleeping too much or too little is associated with changes in the brain that are known to precede and increase the risk of stroke and dementia later in life, a new study suggests.
Yale University | Researching the Brain, Seeking Cures | University Research

Newly Discovered Anatomy Shields and Monitors Brain

A previously unknown component of brain anatomy acts as both a protective barrier and platform from which immune cells monitor the brain for infection and inflammation, according to University of Rochester experts.
University of Rochester | Researching the Brain, Seeking Cures | University Research

What older adults do while they sit affects dementia risk, study indicates

Researchers at USC explored the link between sedentary behavior and risk of dementia, finds that type of activity matters when it comes to brain aging.
The University of Arizona | University of Southern California | Researching the Brain, Seeking Cures | University Research