Media Highlights 2018
Decoding the Aging Brain
Dec 2018
“Every time someone gets into the magnet and we look at their brain, that first moment we see the structure of their brain — it takes my breath away.” — Dr. Denise C. Park, Distinguished University Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences and director of research at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for Vital Longevity.
A Diabetes Drug Corrects Pain’s Cognitive Damage
Dec 5, 2018
“It’s been known for a long time that metformin has benefits for the heart and brain separate from its effects on blood glucose.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Student Researchers Build New Technology For Better Hearing Devices
Nov 7, 2018
“New algorithms may help implants perform better at blocking out background noise. Most implant recipients are only seeing a small percentage of the auditory stimuli that you and I get with full hearing capability.” — Dr. John Hansen, professor in electrical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
New Research Reveals Body Size Influences First Impression
Nov 6, 2018
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to consider the role of more nuanced aspects of body shape — beyond height and weight — in personality judgments about people.” — Dr. Alice O’Toole, Aage and Margareta Moller Professor and professor of neuroscience.
New Ways to Make Your Brain Act 20 Years Younger
Oct 31, 2018
“At the end of the study, the cognitive-training group had, on average, improved their brains’ fitness so that they worked in many ways like the brains of people 20 years younger.” — Researchers at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
4 Ways to Increase Brain Power that May Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Oct 21, 2018
“One of the best ways to think more deeply is to spend some time not thinking at all. The more information we take in, the more shallowly we think.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Scientists Examine How Neuropathic Pain Responds to Metformin
Oct 15, 2018
“It’s great if a drug works. It’s even better if we know how it works. We observe the results, but we don’t know how they are achieved. That’s what we should pursue next: determining the pathways in which metformin works to correct these defects and how the physiology changes.” — Dr. Sven Kroener, assistant professor at the School of Behavorial and Brain Sciences.
How Good — And How Secure — Is Facial Recognition Technology?
Oct 8, 2018
“The current algorithms learn by example. And examples are basically many, many images of a particular person and an accurate label. And so you get what’s out there. And what’s out there may not be equally representative of different races.” — Dr. Alice O’Toole, Aage and Margareta Moller Professor and professor of neuroscience.
Center for BrainHealth Secures $225,000 Grant to Study Motor Learning Deficits in Cannabis Users
Sep 28, 2018
“Motor learning is critical for daily functioning; thus, determining the mechanisms that underlie deficits in motor learning and performance as a result of cannabis use can advance our understanding of addiction, inform rehabilitative strategies, and guide changes in policy regarding cannabis use in relation to motor performance.” — Shikha Prashad, PhD, a Center for BrainHealth research scientist.
UT Dallas Professor On The Strides And Setbacks Of Facial Recognition Technology
Sep 19, 2018
“What happened about five or six years ago, 2012 or so, was the introduction of a new class of deep learning algorithms. They’re modeled after the human visual system or the primate visual system, and they involve tens of millions of computations that are neural-like in character.” — Dr. Alice O’Toole, Aage and Margareta Moller Professor and professor of neuroscience.
American Pain Society Encouraged by Progress Toward Increased Funding for Pain Research
Sep 6, 2018
“HEAL is a huge step in the right direction toward rectifying long-standing inadequate levels of support for pain research. Now it’s time for the research community to step up and submit cutting-edge grant proposals in priority areas identified in the HEALS Initiative.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Differences Between Combined, Isolated Use of Cannabis, Nicotine on Brain Networks
Aug 28, 2018
“Most of the literature to date has focused on associations of isolated cannabis and nicotine use, even though concurrent cannabis and nicotine use is more prevalent in society than cannabis use alone.” Dr. Francesca Filbey, professor and program head, Cognition and Neuroscience, Bert Moore Chair in BrainHealth and director of cognitive neuroscience of addictive behaviors at the Center for BrainHealth.
5 Expert-Approved Habits to Improve Brain Health
Aug 23, 2018
“When you develop new interests, pursue hobbies or perform specific brain exercises, you enhance your brain’s ability to become more proficient, and at the same time, expand memory.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Center for BrainHealth Enhances Capabilities with Two New 3T MRI Machines
Aug 23, 2018
“As members of the UT Dallas family, we are looking forward to welcoming researchers from a variety of schools whose projects can benefit from using our brand new, state-of-the-art MRIs.” — Dr. Daniel Krawczyk, Debbie and Jim Francis Chair and associate professor of cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
How UT Dallas Researchers are Changing Injured Brains for the Better
Aug 16, 2018
Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas Center for BrainHealth are discovering that targeted training can improve both cognitive functioning and alleviate depressive symptoms in TBI patients.
ACEing Autism Is Serving Up Skills For Dallas Youth
Jul 2018
ACEing Autism collaborates with UTD, which provides courts and volunteers, a number of whom are students at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Can Neuroscience Stop the Opioid Epidemic? Curious Texas Investigates
Jul 18, 2018
“We can talk all we want about the opioid epidemic, [but] it’s a pain epidemic. Until we get a handle on why people are having pain and how we can stop it, you’re not addressing the underlying problem.” — Dr. Greg Dussor, associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Brain Health Program Helps Dallas Police Officers Fight Information Overload
Jul 11, 2018
“What we want to teach them to do is to be able to take in all of the information, whether it’s sensory, verbal, and think about what is really important here.” — Jennifer Zientz, who heads the Center for BrainHealth’s clinical services.
Brain Power – Make the Best Investment of Your Life by Taking Charge of Your Health
Jul, 2018
The Center for BrainHealth, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, has spent decades researching human cognition — what makes a brain healthy, what contributes to decline, and what interventions can help.
Brain Performance Institute by Page
Jul 10, 2018
“This is the very front part of our brain that makes us different from every other living thing. Architecturally, we created what we stand for.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Researchers Create a Game Plan to Study and Treat Chronic Pain
Jul 2, 2018
“The concept of simply calling it ‘chronic pain’ after six months is not useful, and it has probably been detrimental to effectively treating patients.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Want to Lower Your Risk of Depression and Dying From Heart Disease? Do This
Jul 2, 2018
“We have shown it is important to be physically fit AND cognitively fit for psychological well being. Thus, if you do have a cardiovascular event, you are better protected against the potential detrimental effects on the brain, such as depression, memory and concentration deficits.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Are Your Kid’s Headphones Permanently Damaging Their Hearing?
Jun 27, 2018
“Auditory fatigue, from listening through earbuds for many hours, even at a comfortable volume, can also cause tinnitus, said Jackie Clark. She thinks that this may be the result of simply not letting the ears rest in true quiet for long enough periods of time. Though, she points out, there are a number of reasons why a person can develop tinnitus.” — Jackie Clark, clinical professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and past president of the American Academy of Audiology.
Preschool Age a Crucial Time for Kids’ Eating Habits
Jun 27, 2018
“It’s during this period that most children develop eating habits that override their natural body cues. Very young kids are really good at regulating food intake. If you give a 3-year old a snack, they will adjust their meal intake to react appropriately so that they are not too hungry or too full.” — Dr. Shayla Holub, associate professor and program head, Psychological Sciences, Psychology and Child Learning and Development.
Detail Matters: Brain Power
Jun 25, 2018
“The organic form is inspired by the shape of the brain’s frontal lobe, while the detailing of the fins is reminiscent of the lines on an electroencephalogram (EEG), a scan used to identify problems related to brain function by measuring electrical activity.” — Opened in September 2017, the Brain Performance Institute is part of the Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas.
Center for BrainHealth® Joins Neuroscape Alliance
Jun 26, 2018
“We are pleased to participate in the Neuroscape Alliance with the common goal of speeding up progress in developing science-based assessments and interventions to benefit humanity.” — Dr. Lara Ashmore, director of emerging technologies and online programs at the UT Dallas Center for Brainhealth’s Brain Performance Institute.
The Science Behind South Korea’s Race-Based World Cup Strategy
Jun 18, 2018
“So, it has been known since the late sixties, actually, that humans, given a task to learn new faces and to recognize them at a later date, are simply more accurate when the faces they’re trying to learn and remember are faces of their own race, as opposed to faces of another race.” — Dr. Alice O’Toole, Aage and Margareta Moller Professor and professor of neuroscience.
Sachse Man with Autism Helps Design Virtual World to Make Life Better for Adults Like Him
Jun 16, 2018
Kyle Barton, a UTD graduate from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, with a BS in Psychology, is an instructor at the nonPareil Institute, a Plano-based nonprofit that teaches adults with autism job skills such as coding and video game design.
Five Myths About Alzheimer’s Disease
Jun 15, 2018
“There is growing evidence, however, that Alzheimer’s disease begins its attack on the brain many years before such symptoms appear, leading researchers to suggest that there is a syndrome called preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.” — Dr. Denise C. Park, Distinguished University Chair in Behavioral and Brain Sciences and director of research at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for Vital Longevity.
Concussions: Retired NFLers, Head Injury Patients May Benefit from New Brain Health Initiatives
Jun 5, 2018
Researchers at the Brain Performance Institute of the Center for BrainHealth have developed programs to unlock the brain potential for a wide variety of individuals — from middle schoolers and athletes to military veterans and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
Parkinson’s Disease Shares Brainwave Abnormalities with Other Neurological Disorders, Study Finds
Jun 1, 2018
“Over the past 20 years, there have been pain researchers observing a pattern for pain, or tinnitus researchers doing the same for tinnitus, but no one combined the different disorders to say, What’s the difference between these diseases in terms of brainwaves, and what do they have in common?” — Dr. Sven Vanneste, associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
NIST Study Shows Face Recognition Experts Perform Better with AI as Partner
May 28, 2018
“Societies rely on the expertise and training of professional forensic facial examiners, because their judgments are thought to be best; however, we learned that to get the most highly accurate face identification, we should combine the strengths of humans and machines.” — Dr. Alice O’Toole, Aage and Margareta Moller Professor and professor of neuroscience.
Four Things Everyone Can Do to Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
May 26, 2018
“It’s almost like there’s a janitor inside that cleans up some of the toxic by-products that may be a precursor to amyloid.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation Enhances Brain Plasticity
May 16, 2018
“Our experiment was designed to ask this new question: After a stroke, do you have to rehabilitate every single action? If VNS helps you, is it only helping with the exact motion or function you paired with stimulation?” — Dr. Michael Kilgard, Margaret Fonde Jonsson Chair and professor of neuroscience.
Study Suggests Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Adult Brain
May 14, 2018
“We know that socioeconomic status influences the structure of the brain in childhood and older age, but there’s been a gap in the research. We wanted to see if there were relationships between SES and the brain across a wider range of adulthood.” — Dr. Gagan Wig, assistant professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Interactive Robot Emerges as Answer to Prayers for Korean Parents of ASD Kids
May 10, 2018
“Many children with ASD respond better to robots than to humans. They are “more engaged” in communication when their therapist is a robot.” — Dr. Pamela Rollins, associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Callier Center for Communication Disorders.
The Way Chronic Pain Begins Could Be Different For Men And Women, Study Says
May 2, 2018
“In men, certain pathways are engaged that cause the pain to persist. If you still have pain three months after, by most current definitions that would be chronic pain. And [those pathways] seem to be much different in women.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
How Exactly Does Autism Muddy Communication?
Apr 19, 2018
“We want autistic individuals to have better, more fulfilling social experiences, employment prospects, and quality of life, and there may be a limit to how far we can get simply by trying to train autistic people to have more neurotypical social skills or expressions.” — Dr. Noah Sasson, assistant professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
Apr 17, 2018
Too little sleep has been tied to increased risks of a number of health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It also can exacerbate mental distress. From a recent lecture at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
BrainHealth Team Secures Founding Director of DoD Research Agency Dr. Geoffrey Ling to Lead Initiative to Double Human Brain Performance in 10 Years
Apr 4, 2018
“Traditional brain health is centered on pharmaceutical research. Our new initiative will provide a multidisciplinary approach for building brain and cognitive capacity through activities based on scientific research. Dr. Ling’s extensive expertise will be invaluable as we move forward.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Social Awareness Increases Prove Brain Changing in Adults with Autism
Mar 28, 2018
“A major contribution of our study is the results challenge the outdated view that social cognition issues are difficult to remediate after childhood.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
UTD Researcher Lends Name to Pain Cream
Mar 7, 2018
“You have to be able to detect pain and protect yourself. Likewise, opioids also play an important role, especially with post-surgical pain. Not treating post-surgical pain could lead to chronic pain.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Why Female Pain is Such a Mystery: Scientists Discover Women’s Cells Have a Completely Different Reaction to Men’s — But Almost Every Study to Date has Only Used Male Models
Mar 5, 2018
“It leads me to believe that it’s fairly likely we’ll want to make male- and female-specific drugs for chronic pain.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
More Than Crunches: 7 Tips to Keep Your Brain as Sharp as Your Body
Mar 5, 2018
“Science discoveries over the last two decades reveal that our brain is the most modifiable part of our body and easiest to strengthen, more than our heart or teeth.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Program Takes Seniors Into Virtual Reality, Improves Brain Function
Feb 28, 2018
“The more that you can help people to engage in the memories that were very meaningful to them in a certain time of their life, it actually triggers this kind of happiness and remembering that calms their mood and lets them see empowerment.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Wisdom is Cause and Effect in Action!
Feb 27, 2018
“The relationship between cause and effect may not always be obvious. However, reasoning through cause and effect provides a way to cope with feelings of powerlessness. By examining similar situations from the past where we have succeeded, we can become better informed about what will happen in the current situation.” — Dr. Daniel Krawczyk, Debbie and Jim Francis Chair and associate professor of cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Kids More Likely to Choose Chocolate When Sad and Savoury Snacks When Happy
Feb 23, 2018
“The kids watching the saddest video ate the most chocolate. There was a significant drop in consumption among the ones watching the happy video, but they still consumed more chocolate than the neutral video group.” — Dr. Shayla Holub, associate professor and program head, Psychological Sciences, Psychology and Child Learning and Development.
Dr. Katz on “Foreign” Medical Conditions
Feb 18, 2018
Karen Conti speaks with Dr. William Katz, as he provides information on Dyslexia, Dysphasia, and details on the phenomenon of Foreign Accent Syndrome. — Dr. William Katz, professor of speech science and neurolinguistics.
Meet Milo, A Robot Helping Texas Students With Autism
Feb 7, 2018
Creators of Milo say students respond to Milo because of the robot’s facial expressions. Research from the Callier Center for Communication Disorders shows individuals with autism start talking to the robots when they don’t talk to other people.
To Boost Your Brain Health, Use The Acronym ‘FIRST,’ UT Dallas Expert Says
Feb 6, 2018
“A person’s average peak brain years are between age 35 and 40, but the average lifespan is double that. We’re living half of our life with a healthy brain in a state of decline.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Exploring Ways To Treat Pain Without Addiction As U.S. Opioid Crisis Worsens
Feb 2, 2018
“There’s no question that opioids are effective for acute pain, but the issue that we have right now is that the drugs that we have to treat chronic pain don’t work very well and the drugs that are efficacious are incredibly dangerous.” — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Special Goggles Help Diagnose Possible Brain Injuries
Feb 2, 2018
“The brain is a dynamic machine that changes after injuries so you may not see the symptoms of a concussion for minutes, hours or days after the event.” — Dr. Robert Rennaker, Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair in Bioengineering, professor of electrical engineering and professor of neuroscience.
15 Innovators Reshaping Texas
Feb 2018
“When I say I do brain health, most people don’t even know what that means. People either think, “I’m fine,” or “I’ve got Alzheimer’s disease, and there’s nothing I can do.” — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and professor and founder and chief director at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for BrainHealth.
Imagining A Future Without Opioids
Jan 31, 2018
Since 2000, more than 300,000 Americans have died after overdosing on opioids, according to the CDC. A podcast about arguably America’s most important public health crisis — and about the prospects for non-opioid pain medication. — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Superheroes Among Us: Dr. Michael Burton Battles Pain
Jan 23, 2018
“The research gets interesting where that adaptive response becomes maladaptive. Adaptive is a natural response from the body — to survive and adapt to our surroundings. Maladaptive is a little different.” — Dr. Michael Burton, assistant professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
A Look At Dallas’ Rise As a Neurostimulation Hub
Jan 22, 2018
DFW hasn’t historically been a medical device or life sciences hub, but in the last 10 years the tide has turned. It has emerged as a center for innovation in bioelectronics devices, sprouting a significant number of companies and research centers specializing in neurostimulation.
Dr. Ted Price: Clarifying the Causes of Chronic Pain and Creating New Treatments
Jan 22, 2018
Some of his trainees have gone on to do academic research, have become professors, or have accepted positions in industry where they are working to get new medicines into the clinic. — Dr. Theodore Price, associate professor of neuroscience at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Dr. Greg Dussor: Channeling Research Efforts to Understand Mechanisms and Potential Therapeutic Targets of Migraine Pain
Jan 8, 2018
“Scientific research is challenging, and to be successful, you really have to enjoy it. Careers in research are really fun because there are moments where you are the first person on Earth to know the answer to something. This makes it worth all of the struggles.” — Dr. Greg Dussor, associate professor at the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
